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Wednesday, Sep. 2, 1998
FDA allows sale of contaminated feed corn
To help drought-stricken farmers, small amount of cancer-causing agent in feed OK'd
Associated Press
NASHVILLE, Tenn. - The Food and Drug Administration has given grain dealers in five drought-plagued Southern states permission to mix corn contaminated with a cancer-causing mold with untainted corn for livestock feed.
The FDA does not usually allow such blending, but is making an exception because of this summer's harsh weather - perfect growing conditions for the molds that produce aflatoxin, which has been linked to cancer in animals.
``The reason people are stirred up about it is that it's the most carcinogenic of any presently-known natural toxin,'' said George Latimer, state chemist with the Texas Agricultural Experiment Station in College Station. ``For that reason the FDA says that corn that contains aflatoxin above 20 parts per billion is unsuitable for human use.''
The FDA is not changing that standard. Nor has it relaxed the rules set for livestock feed, which range from 20 parts per billion all the way up to 300 parts per billion for large cattle on the way to market.
But the federal agency has allowed farmers and buyers in Texas, Mississippi, Louisiana, Arkansas and Tennessee to sell and transport across state lines corn that doesn't meet the 20 parts per billion rule. That corn can then be blended with ``cleaner'' grain to meet the standards.
So a Tennessee farmer stuck with a crop of corn tainted with 300 parts per billion of aflatoxin could sell it to a dealer. The dealer could then blend it with enough pure corn to create acceptable feed.
``Of course if you get a real high contamination, like 300-400 parts per billion, you're not going to be able to dilute it down enough, so that's still a problem,'' said Dr. Melvin Newman, a plant pathologist for the University of Tennessee. ``But it is some help.''
The heat and drought - which weakens the corn enough for the mold to take hold - already has farmers across the South in a bind.
``Some of the producers ... they're in a poor situation. We hear stories where they've got trucks full of grain and they don't know what to do with it,'' said Jimmy Hopper, the director of Regulatory Services with the Tennessee Department of Agriculture.Post your comments about local news eventsFront Page || Main Index || News || Business || Texas || South Texas Outdoors || Birdwatching || Sports || Entertainment || Selena || Education || South Texas Attractions || World Wide Web