Even in a normal year there’s an ever-present risk that feed can become contaminated with mould.   In a la Nina year, that risk increases dramatically.   All it takes is a little bit of moisture and warmth to promote mould growth.  The problem is that with mould comes mycotoxins.  And mycotoxins can be deadly to your livestock.

In this Q&A with AIM’s Founder & CEO, David Ginter, we discuss more about mycotoxins: what they are, what problems they can cause animals, and what to do if you think their feed is contaminated.

What are mycotoxins and where do they come from?

DG: Mycotoxins are compounds produced by moulds. Moulds are part of the fungus family along with things like mildews, rusts and of course mushrooms.

‍What causes mycotoxins to develop and grow?

DG: Dampness, warm weather, humidity - any conditions that are conducive to the growth of mould are conducive to the accumulation of these toxic compounds within the feedstuff. So, mouldy hay, mouldy grain and even rusts on growing plants - all present a risk for mycotoxin contamination.  And it can all happen quite quickly – say in only a matter of days.

‍How many varieties of mycotoxins do we need to watch out for?

DG: There are – I think to date – about 400 compounds that have been identified as having a toxic potential. In practice though the real threat only comes from a small subgroup of those.

‍So not all mycotoxins are equally toxic.  Some mycotoxins might not even be particularly bad; they might have a limited effect.  But some are deadly.

DG: Yes. Part of the problem with the whole mycotoxin discussion is that different mycotoxins have different effects, ranging from mild or sub-clinical in nature – like reductions in fertility, reduced feed intake, or compromised immunity. Whilst others can be deadly. So that’s one side of the problem.

The other side is that the concentrations of mycotoxins within a given feed sample can vary dramatically. And because you don’t know in advance what kind of toxins are present (or their concentrations), you’ve always got to treat mouldy feed with the respect it deserves in terms of the risk you’re taking feeding it to animals.

So, it doesn’t matter the time of year, if you receive some feed and if you’re concerned about mould, you need to instantly be careful and assume there’s potential danger?

DG: That’s absolutely right.

You’ve mentioned a couple of the impacts of mycotoxins but what are other common affects on animals?

DG: Well, apart from suppressed fertility and immunity you can have mycotoxins that affect the neuromuscular system, which causes animals to stagger or struggle with respiration and heat stress.  Mycotoxins can also cause all sorts of damage to various organs. So, there’s a whole fruit salad of damage/disease that mycotoxins can cause. The one advantage that ruminants like sheep and cattle have over mono-gastrics like humans is that they have a bit more resilience to mycotoxin challenge on the basis that they have a rumen, and the rumen contains microorganisms that can contribute to deactivation of some of these toxins.

Does that mean that the healthier the rumen and the more happy, active bugs in the rumen, the better the chances that the animal can deal with some of the toxins?

DG: Yes. It’s an absolute prerequisite that if you’re concerned about the risk of mycotoxin, then the first level of protection you’ve got is to make sure that the rumen fermentation process in your animals is optimised. That is a really important step in reducing the potential damage that mycotoxins in feed can cause.

Let’s just say we’ve received some feed – maybe we’ve already fed some out, and we’ve realised too late the feed is contaminated with mould. What can we do to protect the animals?

DG: Well, step one, make sure that rumen fermentation is optimised.  Remember – happy rumen bugs can help deactivate some toxins.  Step two, there are products out there that you can bring into the equation to enhance protection. Those products are commonly referred to as Toxin Binders and they act in one way or another to reduce the risk of free toxins floating around and challenging the physiology of the animal. The problem that you have with mycotoxin binders is that none of them are 100% effective.

‍Is a binder designed to bind one specific toxin?

DG: Mycotoxins fall into several different groups and certain mycotoxin binders work with one group of toxins and don’t work with others, and vice versa.

So, it’s important to make sure you’re using the correct toxin binder.  And to choose the correct toxin binder you’ll need to identify the toxin or group of toxins you’re being challenged with.  You can’t make an educated decision about whether to use one binder over another, until you understand what you’re dealing with.

‍So, what’s the solution?

DG: What you do under those circumstances is use a broad-spectrum product that contains a combination of multiple types of binders, as well as other ingredients with a demonstrated capacity to deactivate or denature other toxins that may not be affected by the presence of binding compounds. That’s your best security blanket.  But again, I must stress that optimising rumen fermentation should come first.  

‍Can you identify specific mycotoxins through testing?

DG: You can. The problem is that testing to identify the presence or concentration of individual mycotoxins can take time. The solution to that really is to recognise that the risk of mycotoxin contamination is linked to the level of mould growth in a particular feed.

‍So, the more mould -

DG: - the higher the likelihood that you’re going to have more mycotoxin. So, a faster and cheaper method for establishing the mycotoxin risk is to get the feed tested for the level or concentration of mould. There are some well-established guidelines regarding the levels of mould above which you need to become concerned about mycotoxin risk.

‍So, just to clarify - you can have a mild mycotoxin but have a high concentration of it in the feed and that can cause havoc, or you could have something that’s potentially very dangerous but at a such a low concentration your animals might ingest it but it might not harm them.  

DG: Yes. I think the other comment I would make is that if you are buying feed in from outside, and you’ve asked someone to test it for you, you need to be very careful about the sampling technique employed.  That’s because you may have a bale of hay with mould in one corner, but the sample was taken from the opposite side.

‍Let’s imagine the worst. Imagine our herd or flock have already eaten contaminated feed. It’s too late for testing. What, if anything, can we do to help them?

DG: First step, remove them from the source of the toxin or toxins. The second step really depends on how severely affected the animals are: you might get to the point where you need to get some veterinary intervention. The main thing is to make sure that you keep their rumens going and that you do everything you can to remove stress and support proper physiological function.  Minimise movement and heat stress (provide shade if possible) and keep feed and water up to them.

‍That’s if you can get them to eat, right? What can you do to get them eating if they’re feeling really sick?

DG: You can use something like AIM Generade Premium Liquid to keep the rumen stimulated. We know that animals affected by mycotoxins also have a greater requirement for certain Vitamins. So, support Vitamin levels, keep the microbial populations going, and protect animals from heat and other stressors – these are all positive actions to take.  But certainly, if you’ve got animals that are severely affected you need veterinary intervention because there are things that vets can do.

‍Let’s talk about the AIM Products that can help in this situation. You’ve mentioned the importance of a healthy rumen as well as use of mycotoxin binders. Does AIM have anything that can help?

DG: Given that we know the rumen is the first line of defence, it made sense to me that we had to develop a product that could help build and maintain a healthy microbial population in the rumen and support the rest of the neuromuscular physiology of the animal. At the same time, we had to combine that with a broad-spectrum mycotoxin binder-cum-deactivator. That’s why we developed Grazemax Protect. I’d also recommend AIM Generade Premium which is useful for any animal suffering from the effects of stress.   Generade helps stimulate rumen microorganisms, and provides some quick energy to the brain, nerves and muscles, whilst delivering mineral and vitamin support.

Worried about mycotoxins and looking for help? Call an AIM Technical Sales Specialist - Call 08) 8391 5888 and we'll refer you to your nearest AIM TSS.

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