June 30, 2015

Nutriad discusses mycotoxins at Irish veterinarian congress

The North of Ireland Veterinary Association's (NIVA) Spring CPD meeting was held recently at Cookstown, Northern Ireland, where a strong turnout of vets welcomed Dr. John Dunne (right), Nutriad's sales manager for UK and Ireland.

Sponsored by Nutriad, the meeting was an opportunity for farm practitioners to interact with other stakeholders in the agricultural industry, in particular with nutritionists.

Dr. Dunne introduced the audience to the world of mycotoxins, which are especially baffling when it comes to making a clinical diagnosis of disease.

"It is important to complete a mycotoxin risk assessment and consider how on-farm strategies could minimise their effects," Dr. Dunne said. "Every stage of production and processing should be taken into consideration in the risk assessment; land management, crop rotation, harvesting, milling and storage are all areas where formation can be prevented."

According to Dr. Dunne, various parameters in feed storage affect microbiological growth such as nutrient value, moisture content, oxygen levels, temperature, pH and the length of storage time. These will vary in each feed and on different farms.

"Mycotoxin assays can be completed on all feedstuffs generating clear laboratory reports, explaining the risks involved and giving recommendations for the individual species along with advice on potential binding products to be used as additives," Dr. Dunne added. "Not all products are equally effective from one mycotoxin to the other and, to manage and minimise mycotoxins, a broad spectrum approach is therefore required."

Ideal mycotoxin deactivator qualities include adsorption or binding by adding clay minerals like bentonite (1m558); the promotion of bio-activation by prebiotics – specific inactivated yeast; immune system revival through the addition of beta-glucans and MOS; oxidative stress inhibition by adding antioxidants such as vitamin E and A; and the addition of botanicals Sylibum marianum and / or Rosmarinus officinalis as an aid for affected organs.

"Identifying where mycotoxins may have an impact and doing something to minimise their negative effects are the means of control," Dr. Dunne concluded. "It is important to remember that it is not necessarily what mould is present or not that is key, but what happens to the mycotoxin after the feed is ingested. Ongoing communication between vets, nutritionists and feed manufacturers will help us to understand the correct path to the management and identification of this disease on farm."