CAIRO — On Sept. 21, the Egyptian Cabinet decided to authorize the import of ergot-infected wheat in accordance with Egyptian regulations adopted in 2010 that permit the import of wheat containing levels of .05% of ergot or lower. This negated a prior decision taken in late August, when the Ministry of Agriculture announced that it was imposing a zero-tolerance policy for ergot, banning the import of wheat containing any quantity of the fungus.
The Cabinet said it would not permit the import of wheat containing ergot levels exceeding those allowed for by Egypt’s 2010 guidelines. They noted that these guidelines were in line with standards determined by international agencies specializing in the field — such as the Codex Alimantarius and the Food and Agriculture Organization. They also said that fears concerning ergot — such as that imported wheat containing ergot was carcinogenic and harmful to public health — was utterly without foundation.
