Peat scours

Copper absorption is depressed by ascorbic acid, dietary phytuies. cadmium, mercury, silver, and zinc. It appears that metals impede copper absorption through competition lor meml-hinding sites. Dietary copper, molybdenum, amt sulfur arc closely interrelated in optimum copper und molybdenum nutrition of ruminants. Increase pasture molybdenum content and low-pasture copper result in a condition known as "peat scours. ... 

Zealand by Cunningham.Several experiments by this worker have shown that increased molybdenum intake either naturally from molybdenum-high pastures or from added molybdate reduces the copper content of bovine livers and blood. Data from one of these experiments are given in Table 4. Cunningham claims further that molybdenum rather than copper is the significant factor in the scouring of cattle on copper-deficient peat lands since this symptom occurs where the pastures are moderately low in copper and moderately high in molybdenum but not where the pastures are deficient in copper but contain normal low amounts of molybdenum. 

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