The Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved IDALS’ August 15 request to allow corn with over 20 ppb aflatoxin to be blended for animal feed with corn with lower or no aflatoxin levels for animal feed. This allows the corn to be safely fed to livestock pursuant to FDA guidelines. In the past, FDA has granted Iowa similar requests during droughts in 2003 and 2005 when aflatoxin was found in the state.
Before blending any corn containing aflatoxin, grain dealers and IDALS must sign a compliance agreement outlining requirements for dealers; a memorandum outlining the application process and a copy of the compliance agreement will be sent to all grain dealers licensed by the Department, and can also be found on the Department?s website in the ?Hot Topics? column.
Requirements in the compliance agreement include ensuring that the blended product is below the appropriate aflatoxin action level in corn used as animal feed as outlined in FDA Guidance Document, Compliance Policy Guide- Section 683.100, ?Action Levels for Aflatoxin in Animal Feeds.?
Each batch of blended corn must be analyzed to determine the aflatoxin level, and the analysis must be performed using approved protocols and procedures outlined by the USDA Grain Inspection, Packers & Stockyards Administration. These results must also be provided to the purchaser of the blended corn. The purchaser, in turn, must provide written assurance that the corn will be used for feed consistent with FDA guidance.
The blended corn must also be clearly identified and labeled for animal feed use only. Corn containing aflatoxin levels greater than 500 ppb cannot be blended.
The FDA’s acceptable aflatoxin levels are determined by the corn’s intended use. Corn containing aflatoxin in concentrations greater than 20 ppb cannot be used for human consumption, and cannot be used for feed for dairy animals or for immature livestock of others species. Corn containing aflatoxin at 100 ppb or less can be used in breeding cattle and swine and mature poultry. Corn with 200 ppb or less can be used with finishing swine greater than 100 lbs. in weight and corn with 300 ppb or less can be used in finishing beef cattle.
You can read more about aflatoxin in corn at ISU Extension’s Dealing with Disasters” page.
