March 21, 2013

Corn, feed from Serbia contaminated with aflatoxin

Contaminated animal feed from Serbia, which has affected at least 3,650 farms in northwest Germany, has been discovered in the Netherlands, according to the Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority (NVWA).

On February 22, German authorities reported that over 10,000 tonnes of corn, imported from Serbia, had increased levels of aflatoxin. Alfred C. Toepler International, a Hamburg-based trading house, which  had initially imported 45,000 tonnes of the contaminated corn, responded by  impounding the remaining grain in its storehouses.

However, it has emerged that the contaminated animal feed from Serbia has been detected at five pig farms in the Netherlands. The NVWA also reported that three other farms in the country have received feed from Romania, which is also contaminated with aflatoxin. 

Aflatoxin is a naturally-occurring carcinogenic, which in high dosages is known to cause cancer in animals. The maximum level permitted by the EU is 0.02 milligrams per kilogramme , but the corn from Serbia registered amounts of up to 0.204 milligrams per  kilogramme.

The organisation has said that there is no sign that the contaminated feed has reached dairy farms and there is no danger to public health.

Meanwhile, in Germany, more than 800 milk samples have been tested and found to be harmless.