Oxalates
Cases of poisoning have been reported in cows fed on fodder beet. Symptoms described were similar to those of milk fever and were alleviated by calcium injections (Price, 1954). Leaves contain large amount of oxalic acid (calcium oxalates) and should not be fed in large quantities to livestock as it has a deleterious effect on Ca status. Oxalates bind circulating Ca, a factor contributing to milk fever (Duncan et al., 1997). However, levels of oxalic acid between 3.0-6.0 g/kg DM have been observed in the roots, far below the 100 g/kg level that is considered to be dangerous (Boyd, 1991).
Nitrates
Freshly harvested fodder beet roots can contain high levels of nitrates, which are known to cause scouring in farm animals. Scouring was observed in pigs fed fodder beet containing high levels of nitrates and the digestive disturbance ceased within two days when fodder beet with very low nitrate levels was substituted. It has been suggested that nitrates rather than oxalates were the cause of the scouring observed in other experiments (Boyd, 1991). In sows, cases of abortion in herds fed on high nitrate/nitrite fodder beet roots have been reported (Bouska, 1991).