Camgrain well-placed to combat ergot – again

Huge investment combats toxic fungus

Grain cooperative Camgrain says it remains well-placed to remove ergot from cereal crops this summer – after winning praise for the way it helped growers deal with the problem last year.

The farmer-owned storage and processing facility invested some £500,000 in colour-sorting machines after ergot made an aggressive comeback during the 2024 growing season which brought ideal conditions for the fungus to thrive across the UK.

Many farmers found themselves facing unprecedented levels of ergot contamination. The black, horn-shaped fungal bodies – toxic to both humans and livestock – meant thousands of tonnes of grain risked being downgraded or rejected outright.

Caused by the fungus Claviceps purpurea, ergot infects the flowering parts of cereals and grasses, replacing grain with dark sclerotia.

The presence of ergot renders grain unsafe for consumption if left uncleaned. For arable producers, it’s not just an aesthetic issue – it’s a food safety concern. Ergot is toxic and its presence results in severe financial penalties and rejected loads.

Stark challenge

With grain arriving at Camgrain stores showing contamination levels rarely seen in recent decades, the challenge last harvest was stark: how to clean large volumes of affected crops without passing the cost of losses back to farmers.

Camgrain chief executive Simon Willis says: “Ergot was present in about two-thirds of all wheat intake – and at unprecedented levels.

“If you calculate and consider that just five pieces of ergot found in a 1kg sample represents 145,000 pieces of ergot in a standard 29t lorry load, then it’s easy to appreciate the size of the problem faced by the supply chain.

“It became evident very quickly that this was going to be a serious issue. We knew we needed to upgrade our handling capability fast if we were going to support members and maintain food-grade standards. So, we made the call – early and bold.”

Camgrain placed orders for two Cimbria CTN7 colour sorters – and built a brand-new colour sorting facility at its busiest site in Balsham, Cambridgeshire. The co-op also invested in a fully mobile colour sorting rig for its sites in Kettering and Stratford-upon-Avon.

“It was a brave and proactive move,” says Mr Willis. “If we’d waited, lead times for the machines would have gone through the roof – we’d probably still be waiting for them now.”

24/7 Response

Commissioned in January 2025, the new plant brought Camgrain’s total cleaning and colour sorting capacity to over 150 tonnes per hour.

It couldn’t have come at a better time, says Dan Parrott, Camgrain’s head of operations. “We’ve seen more ergot than anyone in the business can remember,” he explains.

“We had to move to 24/7 operations at our East Anglian sites to stay ahead—sorting, cleaning, and removing ergot continuously since harvest.”

The Cimbria CTN.7 machines have exceeded expectations. Designed for high-throughput environments, they use advanced optical sensors to detect and remove contaminants at speed, without damaging the grain.

Their efficiency has enabled Camgrain not only to process ergot-affected grain rapidly but also to reduce costs for its growers in the process – with any operating surplus returned to Camgrain members.

Member benefits

“Because of the speed and success of the new system, we’ve been able to reduce colour sorting charges significantly,” explains Mr Willis.

“Starting with Harvest 2025, our standard member rate for colour sorting will be just £4 per tonne.”

For the 2024 season, where higher sorting charges were initially necessary to recover costs, the co-operative expects to return any surplus directly to members in the form of an exceptional payment this autumn.

“It’s simple: our members are our shareholders,” says Simon. “Any profit we’ve made from helping them remove ergot will be redistributed fairly. That’s the co-operative model working as it should.”

Ready for harvest

Ergot remains a persistent threat. As climate conditions continue to shift, the frequency and severity of outbreaks could increase.

However, proactive strategies like those deployed by Camgrain are helping to safeguard both farm businesses and food supply chains.

Looking ahead to harvest 2025, Camgrain’s investments ensure that members will not face the same financial burden should ergot strike again.

The infrastructure is now in place, and the business has shown that rapid, decisive action can pay dividends, says Mr Willis.

“We hope for everyone’s sake that this year’s crop is cleaner,” he adds. “But if it’s not, at least we’ve built the capability to deal with it – and deal with it cost-effectively.”