We have recently been alerted by the London based consultancy firm CWA to an increased risk of problems with mycotoxins (poisons) found in maize cargoes of the 2012 harvest coming from the USA and South America. CWA have recent experience of 3 different vessels which carried 2012 harvest maize from Argentina to Egypt, where unsafe levels of mycotoxins were found in the cargo. Although these toxins were only found in a few areas in the stow, due to their nature as a carcinogen (cancer-causing), the presence of the toxins will be considered to have contaminated the whole hold. All or parts of these shipments were correctly rejected by the Egyptian authorities. Mycotoxins are toxins produced by some species of mold. These mycotoxins are some of the most toxic substances in existence. There are many different types, e.g. aflatoxins, fumonisins, ochratoxins and zearalenone. However, they are all produced by fungi growing on cereal grains. The toxins themselves are tasteless, odorless and cannot be seen by eye. In normal seasons mycotoxin contamination is associated with wet conditions at harvest time when there is a delay in harvesting and drying the crop. It is at this time that the fungal spores, naturally present on all grains, are able to germinate and infect the kernel. The mycotoxins are a natural byproduct associated with the growth of the fungi. However, this season in the USA and Argentina we are aware that there is another and greater risk of contamination of grains such as maize with mycotoxins. The crops in both of these countries were subjected to serious and widespread drought early in the season. When growing plants, such as cereals, experience drought conditions their natural resistance to fungal infection is weakened. The result is that the fungal spores present on the immature grains in the field are able to infect the developing grain and thereby contaminate them with toxins long before harvest. This situation has been recognized this season by plant s