According to Alltech’s 2015 European Grains and Forage Harvest Analysis, dairy and beef cattle are at high risk for mycotoxin exposure. Inconsistent weather conditions are wreaking havoc on the 2015 European crop. Alltech’s European Bioscience Centre in Dunboyne, County Meath, Ireland is opening its first European-based, state-of-the-art Alltech 37+® mycotoxin analytical services laboratory.

The laboratory will be the third of its kind for Alltech, which has two similar laboratories in the United States and China. The new laboratory will provide much-needed, high-throughput mycotoxin profiling services in Europe to accelerate the detection process, while saving time and money for European farmers and food producers. Having such a laboratory in Europe will allow Alltech to investigate more than 38 different mycotoxins quantitatively and more than 50 others qualitatively in animal feed in less than 15 minutes per sample.

“The new laboratory at Alltech Ireland will assist European farmers and producers in the identification and management of the risks associated with mycotoxins,” said Nick Adams, global director of the Alltech Mycotoxin Management Team. “The Alltech® Mycotoxin Management program and global Mycotoxin Management Team of researchers and specialized consultants offer unique and precise solutions to manage the menace of multiple mycotoxins. This new laboratory is yet again evidence that the Alltech team has always led the way in innovative technologies for combating the threat of this hidden global killer here in Europe.”

Diagnosis and effective remediation of mycotoxin problems have, to date, been limited by the ability to accurately measure these toxic contaminants in feedstuffs. Alltech’s new laboratory is an innovative resource that will house a team of analytical scientists who will assist farmers with their constant monitoring of mycotoxin presence and levels in stored forage, which is an integral part of a forage management program, with the end goal to reduce the impact on livestock and poultry performance and health. The laboratory will be able to rapidly identify these hidden killers in feed and provide a final report with recommendation for next steps to the farmer.

“To have a dedicated center for this innovative technology in Ireland will have a significant impact on the productivity, animal health, traceability, profitability and efficiency of not only Europe’s farmers, but also Europe’s food production systems,” said Adams.