Major trace elements limiting livestock performance in New Zealand

Authors: Ellison RS
Publication: New Zealand Veterinary Journal, Volume 50, Issue 3 Supplement, pp 35-40, Jun 2002
Publisher: Taylor and Francis

Animal type: Cattle, Deer, Livestock, Production animal, Ruminant, Sheep
Subject Terms: Animal production/wastage, Clinical pathology, Diagnostic procedures, Cobalt/vitamin B12, Trace elements, Copper, Diet/rations/food, Nutrition/metabolism, Poisoning - chemical, Selenium, Vitamins
Article class: Review Article

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Abstract: Key Points
-          Many New Zealand soils are naturally deficient in cobalt and/or selenium and/or copper, or are naturally high in molybdenum. Livestock grazing pasture grown on such soils may be deficient in one or more of these trace elements.
-          In the 1940s and 1950s, New Zealand researchers were at the forefront of research to defi ne the cause of trace-element related ill-thrift and clinical diseases like white muscle disease, peat scours and enzootic ataxia.
-          New Zealanders have devised production-related reference ranges for blood and liver copper, vitamin B12 and selenium that are used for the diagnosis and prevention of deficiencies.
-          A range of supplementation procedures has been devised, from topdressing or spraying pasture to direct animal supplementation, to suit the range of livestock management systems found in New Zealand.
-          Trace-element monitoring programmes are now a routine procedure for farmers grazing cattle, sheep, and deer on trace-element deficient land.
-          Copper deficiency is the main trace-element deficiency diagnosed in deer.

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