Feed and dairy chain in disarray due to aflatoxin

Companies involved in (animal) feed have undoubtedly discussed disaster preparedness many times. They have prepared plans, but when something happens, the response is almost always the same. It's a matter of waiting until you can no longer deny the situation and only then provide some information.

This was also the case this week, when it was no longer possible to deny that there is a problem with corn contaminated with the fungal toxin aflatoxin B1. It's a substance that you, as a feed company, and especially as a dairy farmer and dairy farm, don't want in your product.

Qlip
Late last week, a Qlip inspector raised the alarm about an excessively high aflatoxin concentration in a milk sample. This triggered a wave of activity throughout the dairy chain. The cause was investigated, which was quickly identified. Over the weekend, several dairy farmers received a signal from their factory to empty their milk tanks into the pit.

The milk was defective and would not be collected. However, most farmers were told nothing more. This caused unrest and speculation. Only during Monday/Tuesday did more information emerge, but despite inquiries, few companies and sector organizations were willing to provide clarity.

Finally
Because it was leaked that there was a problem with contaminated corn, livestock feed organization Securefeed was eventually forced to issue an explanation, and feed manufacturer Agrifirm also issued a statement. A consignment of 1.160 tons of corn had been shipped from southern France to the northern Netherlands and processed into compound feed for dairy cattle in a factory. Initially, nothing seemed wrong with the consignment, but on its way from France to the Netherlands, a fungal contamination spread in the barge carrying the corn, resulting in excessive mold toxins forming upon arrival in the Netherlands. This often happens in patches.

Still not noticed
This wasn't detected in time, despite all the precautions and protocols from organizations like GMPPlus and Securefeed. As a result, the maize was processed into compound feed and distributed to nearly 500 dairy farms, primarily in the north. Both the animal feed organization Securefeed and the dairy association NZO are sticking to this general information. They consider it a matter of publicity to be a bit of a treading-a-thin situation. Goat farms don't appear to have been affected, and pig, chicken, and other livestock farms also appear not to have received contaminated feed.

Returned
There are also reports that Brazilian corn containing excessive aflatoxin levels also arrived in the Netherlands and was processed. However, Securefeed disputes this. Two ships were reportedly en route, but they have reportedly been turned back. Other reports suggest that another boat with corn was unloaded in Rotterdam this week. In early September, GMPPlus already warned about the danger of aflatoxin, but specifically in South American corn, not French product. 

Emptying and refilling silos
The question is: what next? Around 500 dairy farms have been blocked, but according to the Dutch Dairy Association (NZO), not a single product containing excessive aflatoxin levels has reached consumers. Therefore, a dairy product recall would not be necessary. The question now is how long the affected dairy farms will remain blocked.

The logical explanation is: until the milk is clean again and there's clean feed in the silos. The latter is currently being worked on with all hands on deck, reportedly even with the help of other animal feed companies, who are stepping in to empty the silos containing contaminated feed as quickly as possible and replace them with clean product.

Claiming and drawing lessons
Then it's time to settle scores: Who was wrong and where, and who should pay for it? This promises to be a lengthy aftermath, in which insurers also have a role to play. In the meantime, industry organizations can refine their scripts and communication strategies, hoping to do better next time.

And the NVWA (Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority)? They say they're mainly keeping a close eye on things, but haven't done anything else yet.