Monitoring of contaminants in UK cereals used for processing food and animal feed (2025–27)

For the UK grain supply chain to remain competitive, it needs to maintain its reputation for compliance and quality.

AHDB is highly valued by the cereals industry for its independent work on monitoring agrochemical residues and contaminants in grain since the mid-1980s.

This project forms part of a long-term programme of work. It uses accredited analytical methods to produce independent surveillance data on the incidence and levels of key contaminants in representative samples of grain.

It uses post-intake samples from UK-grown cereals (wheat, barley and oats) and co-products (wheatfeed and oatfeed).

Target contaminants and sampling numbers are agreed by the project steering group, comprising AHDB and key trade associations:

• UK Flour Millers (UKFM)
• The Maltsters' Association of Great Britain (MAGB)
• The British Oat & Barley Millers' Association (BOBMA)
• The Agricultural Industries Confederation (AIC) 

The core contaminants monitored include pesticides (fungicides, insecticides, plant growth regulators and glyphosate) and mycotoxins, which include fusarium toxins – such as deoxynivalenol (DON), nivalenol (NIV), T-2 + HT-2 and zearalenone (ZON) – ergot alkaloids and ochratoxin A (OTA).

The project provides scope to conduct additional tests on an annual basis (subject to seasonal needs and additional funds).

This project will specifically assess samples from harvests 2025 and 2026 and store appropriate samples in an archive.

The results inform the milling, malting and animal feed industries of product safety.

Current and emerging legislation and contaminant issues, which could impact on the safety of cereal-based foods and their acceptability in key home and overseas markets, are also monitored as part of the project.

Statements of support from the project’s industry partners

Agricultural Industries Confederation (AIC)

Since 2016, this project has monitored residues and contaminants in cereals, providing the feed and combinable crop industry with excellent data. It helps to inform strategic decisions in cereal marketing and feed-material sourcing. It also helps confirm the industry’s reputation for compliance and quality, ensuring that grain produced by UK farmers meets regulatory requirements and can freely enter the food, feed and fuel supply chains.

It also contributes concrete evidence of contaminant burdens, which is passed on to regulators (in the UK and EU) and plays a vital role in informing pragmatic policy decisions. Given the prospect of new EU legislation on mycotoxin levels in food and feed materials and finished feed, it is more important than ever for the industry to have accurate data on a wide range of food and feed material contaminants. By satisfying the requirements of EU legislation, it allows the UK to maintain access to this valuable market for our domestic food and feed sectors.

British Oat & Barley Millers' Association (BOBMA)

This project is critical for the UK cereal processing industries. The outputs are the largest source of independent validated data on cereal contaminant levels, demonstrating ongoing compliance with UK and, where relevant, EU regulations.

It offers a comprehensive data set to help understand contaminant levels, including year-on-year variations and the factors that influence levels. By covering multiple contaminants in the same samples, it provides a unique view.

The work also provides information on other factors affecting contaminants and considers emerging risks. 

Furthermore, the project facilitates a forum within which the UK cereal processing sectors can meet and discuss contaminant data, upcoming challenges, and mitigation for the supply chain. This delivers significant value above and beyond the direct value of the monitoring data.

Over the years, the project has supported oat and barley sectors when engaging with both European and UK regulators. For example, it has aided discussions on setting maximum limits for several cereal contaminants, including T-2/HT-2, nickel and ergot alkaloids.

This means that legal limits are set in a more practical manner, delivering a significant benefit for the arable supply chain.

The Maltsters' Association of Great Britain (MAGB)

This project is an essential part of the overall due diligence for malting barley growers and the malting industry in the UK. It is one of the few schemes that allows comparisons of contaminants levels across cereal types (e.g. barley, wheat and oats) and end-user category (e.g. food and feed).

The project results concur well with the testing undertaken by MAGB and their member companies. Combined, these analytical programmes ensure that all contaminants are included in sufficient numbers and in proportion to the risks to product safety.

Additional benefits of the work include horizon scanning activity and discussions about new regulatory limits at UK and EU levels. The high level of expertise engaged in the project means that the best analytical technology is used. It also identifies priority areas of research.

UK Flour Millers (UKFM)

This project is the largest single source of UK grain contaminant data, covering the primary outputs of UK arable farms. It provides an understanding of absolute contamination, as well as seasonal variation in contaminants affecting wheat, barley and oats.

Crucially, the project provides a source of independent data and covers multiple contaminants in the same samples, making it relatively unique in the context of contaminant monitoring.

Additionally, the project facilitates a forum within which the UK cereal processing sectors can meet and discuss contaminant data and mitigation for the supply chain.

The project also provides evidence that can be used in relation to EU limits, such as ergot alkaloids, and cereal contaminant policymaking in general. In doing so, contaminant legal limits are set in a more practical manner, delivering a significant saving for the arable chain.

Providing answers to your questions

This research project was funded via a levy-payer-led commissioning process.