Egypt Cancels Its Zero-Tolerance Policy on Ergot Wheat

The government announced yesterday that they reversed Egypt’s controversial zero-tolerance policy on the common grains fungus ergot, backtracking on an import regulation that had all but blocked its access to global wheat.

Consuming too much ergot would lead to hallucinations, but it’s considered harmless in low quantities. The government said it was making their policy more lenient; restoring a 0.05 % tolerance level for ergot, which is a common international standard Egypt had used before the ban.

Egypt has seen its imports grind to a halt since the ban has been imposed on ergot last month, with three legal payments canceled in a row due to mass boycotts by suppliers who say the condition is impossible to guarantee.

WE SAID THIS: Egypt is the world’s largest buyer of wheat.