Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: http://hdl.handle.net/2123/2270

Title: Physical and chemical contaminants in grains used in livestock feeds
Authors: van Barneveld, Robert
Keywords: weed seeds
pesticides
mycotoxins
pigs
poultry
cattle
toxins
moulds
grain
alkaloids
PGLP
Issue Date: 1999
Publisher: CSIRO Publishing, PO Box 1139, Collingwood, Vic. 3066
Citation: Australian Journal of Agricultural Research, (1999), Vol.50, No.5, 807-824
Abstract: This review focuses on 3 main sources of contamination of Australian grains used in livestock feeds, namely chemical residues, moulds and mycotoxins, and weed seeds, including natural toxins such as pyrrolizidine alkaloids. By evaluating the risk to livestock from chemical contaminants (pre-emergent herbicides, selective herbicides, fungicides, insecticides used during growth phases and at pre-harvest, and post harvest insecticides) and the influence of chemical contaminants on livestock production efficiency and grain nutritional quality, the relative priorities for residue management strategies can be established. The chemicals with the highest priority for inclusion in a residue management strategy include bifenthrin (synthetic pyrethroid), chlorpyrifos-methyl (organophosphate), deltamethrin (synthetic pyrethroid), endosulfan (organochlorine), and fenitrothion (organophosphate). It also appears that the Australian maximum residue limit standards do not meet the needs of the livestock industries for effective management of residues in animal feeds, and consequently, a revised approach is required. The amount of research and literature available on the effects of mould and mycotoxin contamination of grain on livestock production, and techniques available for the measurement of moulds and mycotoxins, far exceeds the potential risk these contaminants pose to the livestock industries in Australia. In addition, the effects of moulds and mycotoxins are rarely widespread, with many accounts in the literature referring to a small number of animals on individual enterprises. The actual economic impact of moulds and mycotoxin contamination is also difficult to assess due to a lack of systematic surveys and varying livestock production responses to the presence of these compounds. Finally, weed seeds and the toxic components of weed seeds are still prevalent contaminants of Australian grains used in livestock feeds, and are responsible for significant livestock losses, but there is a lack of screening methods for qualitative or quantitative identification of these contaminants and a lack of uniform standards for use of contaminated grain.
URI: http://hdl.handle.net/2123/2270
ISSN: 0004-9409
Appears in Collections:Premium Grains for Livestock Program (PGLP)

Files in This Item:

File Description SizeFormat
vanBarneveld_R._No.2_1999.pdf17.46 kBAdobe PDFView/Open

Items in Sydney eScholarship Repository are protected by copyright, with all rights reserved, unless otherwise indicated.