Variable weather has once again dominated crop quality and mycotoxin contamination patterns in Europe, with a distinct split between northern and southern regions. The Alltech 2023 European Harvest Analysis has collected and assessed over 1,100 grain and forage samples from more than 20 different countries, and the results show an overall higher-risk mycotoxin year in Europe in 2023. While Europe enjoyed a reprieve this growing season from the extreme drought conditions of the past 2–3 years, rains that fell close to harvest in northern and western Europe caused delays in harvesting that created ideal conditions for mould and mycotoxin development.

Mycotoxins are produced by certain species of moulds and are a concern for livestock producers as they can influence feed quality and subsequent animal health and performance. The Alltech European Harvest Analysis, a decade-long initiative, is a comprehensive step in understanding the complexities of new-crop quality, mycotoxin prevalence and the threat that mycotoxins pose to animals and producers. To determine the most accurate representation of mycotoxin risk across Europe, Alltech has again collaborated with SGS, a global leader in mycotoxin testing and certification. Their expert testing, along with testing by the independently accredited Alltech 37^+® laboratory in Ireland, which can detect up to 54 individual mycotoxins, has captured a highly accurate and robust set of new-crop mycotoxin data across 20 countries in Europe.  

‘’In contrast to recent years, it is excessive rain rather than drought that has been the primary driver of mycotoxin risk in Europe,” said Dr. Radka Borutova, European technical support manager with the Alltech Mycotoxin Management team. “The delayed harvest in northern and western regions has created particular problems in small grains and forages across this region, while further south, corn crops have fared much better than last year, although, as we always try to highlight, low risk does not mean no risk.’’

Key insights from the Alltech 2023 European Harvest Analysis include:

• Persistent rains close to harvesting have led to significant Fusarium-related challenges in wheat and barley crops across northern and western Europe.
• Barley shows the highest risk of the small grains, with an average of six mycotoxins per sample.
• In general, the mycotoxin challenge in corn is lower in 2023 than in recent years. However, there are still pockets of higher risk in central and southern Europe.
• The Penicillium risk continues to dominate in forages. In particular, grass silage in the UK and Ireland is heavily contaminated and presents an ongoing management challenge for dairy producers there.

Corn

Aflatoxin challenges arising from drought-stricken corn have dominated the mycotoxin picture in Europe in recent years, so growers were thankful not to suffer the same fate in 2023. However, it was still not a perfect growing season.

More than 700 new-crop corn samples were analysed this year, and results showed aflatoxins were detected in almost 70% of samples from central and southern Europe, with average levels of 6 ppb. However, most of the risk in corn is coming from Fusarium mycotoxins such as zearalenone, deoxynivalenol (DON) and T2-HT2 toxins. Ochratoxin was more prevalent this year than in 2022, with average levels detected of 28 ppb. The overall corn risk is deemed low to moderate when Alltech’s REQ metric is applied.

Wheat and barley

New-crop samples of wheat and barley typically originated in countries across northern and western Europe. Conditions in this region deteriorated badly around mid-June, and from then onwards, unsettled weather caused havoc with harvest dates, resulting in crops standing much longer in the field than they usually would. The combination of wet and humid conditions with a delayed harvest resulted in the ideal conditions for Fusarium moulds to thrive.

This has directly manifested in elevated levels of mycotoxins in these small grains, with barley posing particular problems. Although specific reasons are unidentified, barley is much higher risk than wheat, and contains almost double the number of mycotoxins per sample.

Penicillium mycotoxins are not something we would typically associate with small grains at harvest time, but they have been more commonly detected this year, possibly due to the extremely challenging field conditions. Emerging mycotoxins are the most common groups detected across both ingredients, but the most risk is coming from type B trichothecenes. In barley, average levels of this group were at 922 ppb, with an extraordinary maximum of almost 29,000 ppb detected in one Finnish sample.

Forages

Although the Penicillium challenge has been the dominant talking point with forages over the past few years, it is worth comparing the mycotoxin profiles and primary risk drivers in corn silage and grass silage.

As with most ingredients, emerging mycotoxins are most prominent. However, in corn silage, type B trichothecenes are present in over 95% of samples, with average levels of 1,561 ppb, amplifying the risk. In comparison, grass silage is facing the greatest risk from Penicillium mycotoxins, with average levels of 338 ppb and an occurrence above 62%. Dr. Borutova has noted that when both of these ingredients are included in a total mixed ration (TMR) diet, this can create an even greater risk for dairy or beef animals.

The late harvest in northern and western Europe amplified the challenge in straw that was lying on the ground for a prolonged length of time. The 60 straw samples submitted to the lab this year were, as in recent years, heavily contaminated with emerging mycotoxins and type B trichothecenes. Average levels of type B trichothecenes were almost 1,500 ppb. This is something for livestock producers to be aware of wherever straw is being used either as bedding or as a feed material.

The Alltech 2023 European Harvest Analysis demonstrates that mycotoxins are an ongoing, dynamic issue that livestock producers need to manage. Although testing directly post harvest provides an overview of regional contamination patterns, what happens before the animal receives the feed — including storage conditions post harvest and feeding practices on-farm — can influence what the animal will actually be ingesting in terms of mycotoxins. To best manage this ongoing challenge, producers should consider a routine testing program that can uncover the specific risks. With this information, informed choices can be made on what mitigation strategies are necessary to support the health and performance of the animals. 

To access the complete report, as well as a series of videos that provide further species-specific insights, visit Alltech 2023 European Harvest Analysis. For more information about Alltech Mycotoxin Management solutions, visit knowmycotoxins.com.

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Compound feed production within the EU27 is expected to undergo a further reduction in 2023, with an estimated decline of nearly 2.4 million tonnes.

EU compound feed production (EU27) for farmed animals in 2023 is estimated at 144.3 million tonnes, reflecting a 2% decrease compared to 2022, according to data forecasts provided by FEFAC members. The EU feed market in 2023 reflects continued political and market crisis management pressures and a growing demand for providing sustainable feed solutions to address market dynamics and regulatory considerations. These trends are a response to the adverse impacts of climate change and animal diseases on the supply of raw materials, such as droughts and floods, and on animal production capacity, including Avian Influenza (AI) and African Swine Fever (ASF). Additionally, national policies ranging from greenhouse gas reduction goals to nitrate emission regulations, have contributed to these shifts.

Moreover, shifts in production methods, as well as reduced or shifting demand due to changing consumer preferences (the impact of food price inflation), are affecting compound feed production differentially across Member States. While countries such as Germany, Ireland, Denmark, and Hungary have witnessed approximately a 5% decline in feed production, other countries like Austria, Bulgaria, Italy, and Romania, have experienced a modest increase. The remaining Member States have either marginally decreased their feed production or maintained it at a level similar to the previous year.

Similar to 2022, the pig feed sector was most severely affected in 2023, experiencing a further decline of almost 2.5 million tonnes. Germany, for instance, faced a reduction in pork production due to the loss of Asian export markets and was targeted by negative media campaigns. Denmark witnessed a substantial drop of -13.6% in pork production in 2023. Spain, the largest EU pig feed producer, lost 800,000 tonnes of production due to shifting consumer preferences (food price inflation) and the loss of export markets. Meanwhile, Italy continued to grapple with challenges posed by African Swine Fever (ASF).

Poultry compound feed production in 2023 displayed a more positive trend, with production increasing by 0.9 million tonnes compared to 2022 as some countries were recovering from AI impacts in 2022. However, both Hungary and Czechia faced further production decline, attributed to a decrease in poultry broiler production, resulting in gaps in rotations and presenting challenges for local slaughterhouses. It must be highlighted that modest growth is not sufficient to recover from losses in 2022, meaning 2023 tonnage will still be 700,000 tonnes below 2021 levels.

Cattle feed production in 2023 experienced a decrease of 0.8 million tonnes compared to 2022. Similar to Spain, Portugal faced water scarcity issues leading to farm closures, particularly in ruminant sectors. Challenges such as low milk prices and cattle diseases further affected the industry. In contrast, cattle farmers in Czechia and other Central and South Eastern European countries benefited from sufficient grass growth, leading to reduced demand for industrial cattle feed.

Regarding the outlook for compound feed demand in 2024, the scenario remains uncertain. Key factors, such as the impact of animal diseases, economic uncertainty, persisting high food price inflation, ongoing weather irregularities, and the increased imports of poultry meat products from Ukraine, are affecting local production. The influence of “green and animal welfare” policies is expected to adversely impact the market outlook for livestock and feed production, although costs for key feed materials, mainly feed cereals, have fallen back to levels before the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

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ForFarmers have released their results for the year ending 2022. The financial highlights are detailed below.

• Total Feed volume: -6.6% to 9.0 million tonnes – down in every cluster
• Of which compound feed volume: -7.8% to 6.3 million tonnes. Decline mainly in swine sector: growth in the poultry sector in Germany/Poland
• Revenue: +24.1% to €3,315 million – due to higher raw material and energy prices
• Gross profit: +13.4% to €494.8 million – less substantial increase than revenue due to high raw material prices and like-for-like volume decline
• Underlying EBITDA: -2.7% to €76.1 million – due to sharp increase in energy costs
• Underlying EBIT: -4.4% to €38.9 million
• Underlying net profit: +3.4% to €30.0 million
• Working capital: €38.8 million (2021: €37.4 million)
• ROACE (based on EBIT4: 7.8% (2021: 8.4%)
• Dividend proposal: €0.20 per ordinary share (2021: €0.29, of which €0.19 regular dividend)

Specifically discussing their UK cluster the report detailed that:

“Labour shortages, partly as a result of Brexit and exacerbated by Covid, were felt throughout the agricultural chain in 2022. For example the capacity of slaughterhouses was under pressure, so pig farmers were unable to bring their animals to slaughter on time. At the same time, interest in robotic milking increased, partly due to the labour shortage. Milk prices in the United Kingdom were also higher than the year before. Less milk was produced in 2022, particularly in the first six months. With many pig farmers having been unable to produce profitably for quite some time, a few quit the industry. In addition to relatively high production costs, poultry farmers had to deal with the presence of avian flu. High inflation saw consumers make different food choices. This ultimately benefits poultry farmers as chicken is seen as a cheap and healthy alternative to other types of meat.

In the summer of 2022 ForFarmers announced its intention to form a joint venture with 2Agriculture in order to further improve the service to poultry farmers, supplying them even more efficiently with appropriate concepts and solutions. In February 2023 we announced, together with 2Agriculture, that we had decided to abandon the proposed joint venture due to the duration and cost of the competition process.

Further notes on the results in the United Kingdom

Total Feed volume declined, with sales of co-products and residual flows decreasing relatively less than sales of compound feed. Sales to dairy farmers increased due to increased market share and improved milk prices and hence more feeding on farm. Our dairy market share improved as a result of our differentiated sales approach offering targeted solutions to dairy farmers. Volumes in the swine sector decreased in line with market conditions. In the poultry sector sales to broiler farmers grew, due to growth in our market share as our nutritional proposition was valued by farmers. Sales to layer and turkey farmers suffered due to the spread of Avian influenza and hence culling of animals. Furthermore, unprofitable contracts with several customers were not renewed.

Gross profit increased by 12.3%, including a positive currency translation effect of 0.8%. This was enough to offset higher energy and diesel prices. As a result underlying EBITDA was slightly higher than in 2021. Underlying EBIT also marginally improved. ROACE based on EBIT was stable, mainly due to the higher average capital employed due to higher raw material prices.”

For the entire report please click here

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Evonik aims to help keep sows, laying hens and dairy cows healthy with a new plant-based product. The product, called PhytriCare® IM, consists of selected plant extracts with a high flavonoid content. Flavonoids are known for their anti-inflammatory effects. The product is available immediately throughout the EU. Approvals in other countries have been initiated.

“Healthy animals are in the interest of us all,” says Dr. Gaetano Blanda, head of the Animal Nutrition business line at Evonik. “The farmer benefits from higher productivity and the consumer can enjoy meat, eggs, or dairy products safe in the knowledge it is coming from healthy animals.” 

Since the prophylactic use of antibiotics has been banned in Europe, many farmers are looking for alternative solutions to keep their animals healthy and productive. In addition to probiotics, various other product classes have become established, including phytogenics. Evonik Animal Nutrition adds plant-based PhytriCare® IM to its probiotics-based Gut Health Solutions portfolio. 

Farm animals – like all living creatures – are exposed to a variety of stress factors and respond by activating the body’s defense mechanisms. If the stress continues at a higher level for a longer period, it can lead to chronic inflammation. As a result, animal’s welfare suffers. The animal then uses an increased share of its energy and nutrients for the immune system rather than for beneficial activities, such as growth and performance – sometimes for months or years. Consequently, production efficiency decreases and the animal’s ecological footprint increases.  

“PhytriCare® IM was developed to prevent an overshooting of inflammatory reactions in sows, laying hens and dairy cows,” adds Nicholas Guthier, head of EMEA Region & Global Key Accounts at Animal Nutrition. “After all, female animals are particularly stressed by reproductive processes anyway.”

Evonik and Dr. Eckel rely on the natural anti-inflammatory effect of flavonoids in PhytriCare® IM. Some of these secondary plant constituents, numbering around 8,000, have been shown to influence certain biochemical processes in animals that are associated with inflammation. 

PhytriCare® IM is a blend of carefully selected plant extracts covering a wide range of flavonoid subclasses. This blend targets a broad spectrum of inflammatory pathways to modulate, but not suppress, the inflammatory response.

The plant parts are well-chosen, gently processed and produced at Dr. Eckel. This ensures a final product of consistent quality with a minimum content of ten percent flavonoids. 

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The Animine scientific team participated in the Sustainable forage for net-zero in livestock production meeting and the team believed that, this event held in London, was the right moment to present Animine’s latest research outcomes on the calibration of the new AniGun^® tool, based on the X-Ray Fluorescence technique.

One of the main limitations in precision formulation is that forages are extremely variable in mineral content and can contain antagonists that reduce the availability of some minerals (i.e Cu, S, Mo and Fe). A quick and accurate assessment of the macro (P, Ca…) and micro-mineral (Zn, Cu, Mn…) composition in the ingredients of the ration is also extremely important to avoid nutritional imbalances, economic losses, and environmental impacts. For these reasons, Animine set the goal of providing analysis of minerals in forages with a portable device, usable on the field.

For the calibration, samples of forages (grass, hay and grass silage) were collected. Forage macro and minerals mineral content was directly determined by AniGun^® and in parallel samples were analyzed by wet chemistry technique (ICP-AES) in the INRAE lab.  

The AniGun portable analyzer represents a promising device for quantifying the mineral content of forages. It will provide fast and accurate results, which will allow users to reformulate mineral supply, in many cases decreasing supplementation levels. This will also save costs and reduce the amount of minerals being returned to the environment.

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AB Vista Broadens Gut-Health Portfolio with Product Acquisition

AB Vista has extended its product offering with the acquisition of Progres®, a natural additive from Finnish biosciences company Hankkija. 

Progres® is a patented natural resin acids product that improves gut integrity by reducing inflammation and stimulates tissue recovery with a healing effect. It also beneficially modulates intestinal microbiota, favouring butyrate producers and lactobacilli, reducing the growth of Gram-positive pathogens.

First developed in 2015, Progres® improves performance in poultry, swine and ruminants, and is an important part of antibiotic-free production systems.  

AB Vista’s Managing Director Juan Ignacio Fernández said: “Progres® is an exciting natural product based on strong research and scientific background that supports a more sustainable approach to animal production, so fits well with our whole ethos at AB Vista.

“Adding Progres® to our portfolio expands the support we can provide nutritionists, veterinarians and production managers, looking for strategies and production programmes that deliver improved gut health, nutritional optimisation, and food safety & security. This acquisition also demonstrates our commitment to growing our offer into the wider additives market.” 

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Evonik has modernised and expanded probiotics production at its site in León, Spain, laying the foundations for further growth in the Gut Health Solutions business. The capacity for producing Ecobiol®, Fecinor® and GutCare® has been more than doubled. The León site can now produce the equivalent of 6,000 metric tons of blended final probiotic product per year.

With a stronger focus on probiotic-based alternatives to antibiotic growth promoters, Evonik’s Animal Nutrition business line aims to provide solutions that ensure the well-being and performance of the animal while protecting human health and supplying a growing world population with high-quality animal protein.

“Providing sustainable solutions for improving animal health and well-being is a matter close to our hearts, and at the same time a strategically important growth business for Evonik,” says Gaetano Blanda, head of Evonik’s Animal Nutrition business line. “With this expansion in León comes the ability to meet the growing demand for our probiotics product line. We will continue to demonstrate the impact of our solutions on the microbiome, gut function, and animal performance.”

Probiotics are living microorganisms added to animal feed to maintain or restore the microbial balance in the animals’ intestines. “As long as there are enough ‘good’ bacteria to keep potential pathogens at bay, an animal remains healthy,” explains Torben Madsen, head of Sustainable Healthy Nutrition at Evonik Animal Nutrition. “A stable gut microbiota also strengthens the animal’s immune system, helping to prevent disease.”

Evonik Animal Nutrition has developed an innovative portfolio of Gut Health Solutions based on probiotics for swine, poultry and aquaculture. Its probiotics line – from the fermentation of active microorganisms to the finished feed additive and pre-blends – have been manufactured in León since 2016. The site has been developed and optimised continuously.

In 2022, Evonik has invested in state-of-the-art fermentation capacities, a new cooling circuit system and a new warehouse at the site, which became operational recently.

In addition to boosting production capacity, the new facilities and improved processes bring important sustainability improvements for the company. Energy, fresh water and raw material use per product have been significantly reduced and, since January 2023, the site has been using electricity exclusively from renewable energy sources.

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Producers need comprehensive data on contaminants and their risks to decide whether mitigating measures, like feed additives, are necessary. Cargill’s 2022 World Mycotoxin Report is, the company states, the feed industry’s most comprehensive data set on the regional prevalence of contaminants in common ingredients (like corn, cereal and oil seeds) used in animal feed, and their risks to bovine, poultry and swine. The report contains more than 300,0000 mycotoxin analyses taken from 150 feed plants, on-farm samplings and storage locations, provides info on the most problematic mycotoxins with their level of contamination and performance risk rates, and species sensitivity when exposed to a given mycotoxin.

“Our aim is to make the most comprehensive and trusted information available on mycotoxin risk to help livestock farmers protect the health of their animals and operations,” says Gilles Houdart, global additive category director for Cargill’s animal nutrition business. “With the Cargill World Mycotoxin Report, farmers and feed producers can directly benefit from Cargill’s unique global footprint of animal nutrition expertise.”

The hidden risk to animal health

Despite the lack of visible symptoms, mycotoxins can wreak havoc on animal health and performance under the surface. Mycotoxins may, for instance, weaken the immune system and degrade nutrient absorption and vaccine response. If symptoms appear from mycotoxin exposure, it’s an indication that the animal has been exposed to high levels of mycotoxins for a long time, and the producer faces costly measures to reverse the impact.

Key findings in Cargill’s world mycotoxin report:

Global trends: 

• Contamination is the rule: In 2022, 75% of the 300,000+ mycotoxin analyses conducted were positive and above detection limits. Also, the more mycotoxins you test for, the more you will find. For example, of samples tested for six mycotoxins, 84% were positive for four or more mycotoxins.
• Performance risk rates increased. Beyond the number of positive samples, it is important to consider contamination levels that may create a risk of reduced performance. For example, in 2022, 39% of analyses were above performance risk threshold, representing a 4% increase from 2021.
• Mycotoxins to Watch: Fumonisin (FUM), Vomitoxin (DON) and Zearalenone (ZEN) remain the top three mycotoxins of concern. Over the past year, ZEN analyses above performance risk increased to 51% while FUM and DON remained elevated at 40% and 62%, respectively.

 Ingredient trends:

• Corn: 75% of corn-based ingredients (including all by-products) analyses were positive for at least one mycotoxin, and 39% were above performance risk thresholds. DON (63%), ZEN (55%), FUM (44%), and T2 (33%) were most frequently above performance risk levels in corn group analyses.
• Cereals: 81% of cereal-based ingredients analysed were positive for at least one mycotoxin, and 44% were above performance risk thresholds. In 2022, DON (66%), ZEN (31%), T2 toxin (T2) (28%), and Aflatoxin (AFL) (25%) were most frequently above performance risk levels in cereal group analyses.
• Oilseeds: 64% of oilseeds-based ingredients analyses were positive for at least one mycotoxin, and 22% were above performance risk thresholds. ZEN (64%), T2 (24%), and AFL (15%) were most frequently positive amongst analyses and presented the highest over performance risk thresholds. Oilseeds had the lowest contamination concern.

Regional trends:

Regions with the highest mycotoxin prevalence and risk levels include China, Asia, North America, and Europe. Conversely, the Middle East and Africa (MEA), Central and South America, and Russia show lower risk, though Russia (+11%) and MEA (+9%) have increased overall risk rates.

• Asia: AFL remained the highest risk in cereals and FUM in corn-based ingredients.
• Central and South America: Mycotoxins from Fusarium moulds (ZEN, FUM, DON) represented significant risks for corn and cereals-based ingredients.
• China: Main concern was DON, ZEN and FUM in corn; DON and ZEN in cereals and ZEN in oilseeds.
• North America: DON remained a concern in corn and ZEN levels increased, particularly in the Northeast corn belt. FUM levels remained high in the Southern corn belt.
• Europe: DON still represented a high risk in cereals and corn-based ingredients. ZEN risk also increased in oilseeds.
• MEA: Increased overall risk with a 9% jump in the region from 2021. Substantial increases in ZEN, T2, FUM, and DON, to a lower extent, particularly in corn.
•  Russia: Russia remains the region with the lowest mycotoxin rate; however, in 2022, we observed an 11% increase from 2021. T2, DON and ZEN contamination rates all doubled.

 Species trends:

•  Bovine: DON and ZEN are most important to watch out for performance consideration in all regions. AFL is also a critical one, particularly in Asia, for dairy, calf and heifer.
•  Poultry: FUM and ZEN are the two big culprits in most regions. Other culprits are DON (China, America, Europe), T2 (MEA, Europe, NA, Russia) and AFL (mainly Asia). It’s important to consider ZEN as impacting all subspecies (and not only breeders or layers) and DON, which can impair growth performance even with a few hundred ppb.
•  Swine: DON and FUM are the two big villains in most regions. Other culprits are AFL in Asia and T2 in Russia and Africa. It’s essential to pay attention to ZEN levels as we see an increase vs. last year. ZEN impacts reproduction parameters for sow and can lower growth performance for all species with severe effects when combined with other mycotoxins.

 In addition to the risk management data provided in the report, Cargill can help to answer this critical question: What is the right approach to manage mycotoxins for my operation? 

As a user and producer working alongside customers around the globe, Cargill developed a first-of-its-kind Mycotoxin Impact Calculator (MIC) to address this question. This in-house tool is the latest in Cargill’s toolbox to help us and customers identify and mitigate mycotoxins with data-backed insights to maximize performance and outcomes for animals and producers’ bottom line.

 “Our customers need real-time actionable data to help them make sound decisions for their business. Thanks to our data centralization efforts and decision-making tools, Cargill helps to characterize mycotoxin risk for each situation to adopt the appropriate solution,” says the author of the report, Clement Soulet, global additive category manager for Cargill’s animal nutrition business.

 The complete 2022 World Mycotoxin Report can be found at here or by emailing: mycotoxins@cargill.com.

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The SFT Next Gen conference is due to take place on the 16th March 2023 at the Windmill hotel in Coventry. Booking is now available on the SFT website under events and conferences https://sft.uk.com/events-conferences/

There is a significant price reduction for students to attend the conference. Please follow the booking instructions on the website carefully. 

The packed agenda for the day includes:

09.55 Conference Introduction by Alex Wealleans
10.00 Quality assurance in a post-Brexit industry Melanie Blake, 2Agriculture
10.45 Have animal products got a future in human nutrition Jude Capper. Harper Adams University 
11.15 Questions
11.30 Coffee
11.45 Feeding the animal not the herd Liz Homer, Trouw Nutrition (precision nutrition) Part 1 – Ruminants
12.15 Feeding the animal not the flock Ralph Bishop, Premier Nutrition (precision nutrition) Part 2 – Poultry
12.45 Questions
13.00 Lunch
14.00 Feedmill of the future Andrew Harrison, l’Anson Bros. Ltd.
14.30 Farm of the future Dr Mark Young, CIEL
15.00 Questions
15.30 Close of conference

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ED&F Man, the molasses blends specialists, have achieved accreditation to ISO14001 certification,  the leading international standard for environmental management systems (EMS) and the most widely used EMS in the world.

Managing Director Dr Phil Holder comments: “The animal feed industry is under increasing pressure to demonstrate high environmental standards.  Feed is one of the major sources of emissions on all livestock farming systems.  With ingredients contributing a significant proportion of the emissions in manufactured feeds, farmers are increasingly looking for ingredients with reduced environmental impact, and processors are also applying pressure.”

ISO14001 certification helps to control environmental aspects of the business, reduce impacts and ensure legal compliance.  Having already achieved ISO9001 some time ago, Dr Holder says ISO14001 accreditation is the next step to help shape and develop the business and set the standard in the markets they operate.

“This certification moves our business towards better environmental control and demonstrates alignment with ethical choices and acts as proof for assurance of service, improving business image and reputation in a world where preservation of the planet becomes ever more important.

“It is demonstrable verification to our customers, and their farmer customers of the high environmental standards of our range of molasses products and specialist blends, helping all to move towards net zero.”

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