Research by the University of Saskatchewan will help swine producers protect their pigs from ergot-contaminated feeds’ toxic effects. 
In feeding trials conducted with piglets by the University extreme processing of ergot contaminated feed using steam, explosion reduced the amount of the ergot alkaloid. It caused a shift in the alkaloid profile reducing its toxic effects. 
Assistant professor Dr. Denise Beaulieu said that very low levels of ergot in the feed could impact productivity. Unlike other mycotoxins, which primarily affect non-ruminants of pigs and chickens and things, ergot affects livestock classes, including ruminants like cows. 
A CFIA list concerns ergot in animal feed as low one part per million so at minimal levels. At those concentrations, there may or may not be effects –  at any stage. 
“We would think that livestock producers, in years where we know there is contamination, we wouldn’t encourage producers to feed contaminated grains.” 
However, in years with severe contamination, producers might want to take steps to prevent the effects of ergot and or other mycotoxins in case some of the feed grain has these contaminants in it. Some years a low level of contamination is in much of the feed grains. It varies from year to year, depending on the environment during the growing season. 
Dr. Beaulieu said while steam explosion effectively reduces the ergot’s toxicity, less extreme methods had no effect. Researchers are looking for other processing methods that will be effective and practical. 
She said ergot is a series of mycotoxins produced by a fungus and infects primarily wheat and rye and grasses. If livestock consumes minimal amounts of ergot, they eat less and growth slows. If they consume more, it affects circulation. It can cause gangrene and, in very high quantities, they can lose tails and ears and maybe even some hoof stopping. Also, in lactating sows, it’ll cause milk output to drop.  
Dr. Beaulieu said researchers first used some screenings from rye and wheat that remained after the feed processing quite heavily contaminated with ergot. They’re analyzing the results from the last experiment with the pigs, the growth experiments to determine at what levels it affects the animals and at what stage.  
“We don’t see a sustained effect of the ergot, trying to figure out what’s happening. Does it affect only feed intake, or does the ergot also affect growth?”  
Obviously, with the COVID and the pandemic, everything slows, but the next step is a similar experiment with poultry to determine if it affects poultry the same way. Not only will they learn about chickens, but go back and learn about the pigs to see if it affects poultry and pigs differently.  
“It might help us explain some of the results that we see in the pigs, but there again, with COVID and the pandemic, everything takes a little bit longer for us to be able to do these experiments now.” •
— By Harry Siemens