Potential economic and environmental impacts of mycotoxins in poultry: A meta-analysis and life cycle assessment approach

Abstract

Mycotoxins are naturally occurring toxic compounds that frequently contaminate animal feeds. While the effects of mycotoxins on livestock health are extensively studied, comprehensive research quantifying their combined economic and environmental impacts remains limited. This study addresses the research gap by integrating meta-analysis and life cycle assessment (LCA) to evaluate the potential economic and environmental consequences of broiler production using mycotoxin-contaminated feeds, a widespread issue globally. Using a representative broiler farm in the Benelux region of Europe as a model, we observed a 10.8 % reduction in feed utilization efficiency (p < 0.05) when birds consumed feeds contaminated with two or more EU-regulated mycotoxins (deoxynivalenol, zearalenone, fumonisin B1, ochratoxin A, and T-2/HT-2 toxin). For 100,000 birds, this inefficiency translated to 400 t of additional feed annually, costing around €200,000. In order to evaluate the environmental impacts of feed mycotoxin contamination, a comprehensive set of 19 environmental footprint categories was analyzed, including global warming potential, resource use, ecotoxicity, eutrophication, acidification, ozone depletion, and ionizing radiation. The LCA results revealed increased impacts across all categories, with an 8.5 % rise in carbon footprint and significant increases in global warming potential, acidification, and eutrophication due to heightened feed production as well as phosphorus and nitrogen excretion. This study shows that addressing mycotoxin contamination in feed crops such as wheat, maize, and soybean is important for achieving sustainable, low-carbon, and profitable poultry production globally.