Fungus Hits US Wheat Crop

Wheat farmers in the US are facing large grain cleaning bills with some soft red wheat crops having been hit by an outbreak of fusarium head blight.  A previous outbreak in 2011 cost the wheat and barley industry an estimated $4.4bn.  High levels of the fungus have been seen in areas east of the Mississippi, the US Gulf and the Eastern Seaboard.  The fungus is poisonous to humans and livestock in high doses and requires cleaning before it can be consumed.  Preliminary sampling across nine States has found average contamination levels of 2.5 parts per million (ppm), significantly higher than the 1.4ppm in the 2013 crop.  Finished products such as flour must contain less than 1ppm; pig feed is set to the same restrictions, chicken and cattle feed is restricted to less than 5ppm.  Export markets usually set limits of 2ppm.