Bovaer: the new dairy additive prompting boycotts and conspiracy theories

A multinational dairy foods company says calls for a boycott over its methane-cutting additive are based on "misinformation".

Thousands of social media posters have threatened to stop buying Arla's goods after the Danish-Swedish firm launched a trial of a new supplement, with some claiming the product is linked to Bill Gates.

"The fight to reduce cow flatulence just turned nasty," said The Telegraph. But what is actually going on?

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Rigorous tests

In a "seemingly innocuous" announcement, said The Telegraph, Arla said that 30 of its British farmers were teaming up with Morrisons, Aldi and Tesco to test a new feed additive, Bovaer. Research has shown that Bovaer reduces methane emissions from dairy cows by an average of 27%.

The company insists that the product has been "rigorously and extensively tested", and emphasised that it is put into cows' feed, rather than directly into their milk, as some have claimed on social media.

The company hopes the trial can provide "a better understanding" of how the feed additives can "be rolled out across a larger group of farmers", because reducing methane is "a big opportunity when it comes to improving our carbon footprint at farm level".

Although Arla's product is not connected to Bill Gates, the Microsoft founder did inject millions into Rumin8, a company developing similar methane-reducing supplements last year, through his investment firm, Breakthrough Energy Ventures.

Methane struggles

"A particularly bilious bovine can happily expel over 300 litres of methane a day," said The Telegraph. This is important because, aside from carbon dioxide, methane is the "most significant" contributor to climate change, said New Scientist, and is responsible for "about a quarter of overall warming".

It occurs naturally but is also caused by humans, most commonly during fossil fuel production, "due to leaks from wells, coal mines, pipelines and ships" and in landfills.

But the second biggest emitter is via the burping and defecation of livestock. With "around 1.5 billion cows on the planet being raised as livestock", said Vox, the production of meat and dairy is a "climate problem we've struggled to solve".

'Human guinea pigs'

"Questions remain over such additives' long-term effectiveness and impact on animal health and welfare," said The Independent, and The Telegraph added that some are "questioning the wisdom" of Arla "conducting a trial" on "human guinea pigs".

The health and safety of both consumers and animals "is always our number one priority", an Arla spokesperson told The Grocer, adding that Bovaer "has already been extensively and safely used across Europe".

Regulatory bodies, including the European Food Safety Authority and UK Food Standards Agency, have approved its use "based on evidence" that it "does not harm the animals or negatively impact their health", they added.

Paul Tompkins, the National Farmers Union's Dairy Board chairman, said it is "critical" that farmers get a "strong evidence base" to give them "the confidence to use these products". He said he hoped that the trial between Arla, Morrisons, Aldi and Tesco "could help provide this evidence".