Bovaer: What is the cattle feed additive and why is it causing customers to flush milk down the toilet? | UK News

Shoppers have threatened to boycott three major supermarkets over their participation in a new trial to add a methane-suppressing supplement to cow feed.

Arla Foods, which owns Britain’s largest dairy co-operative, announced on November 26 that it would start using the subsidy.

The initiative aims to tackle climate-warming methane emissions produced by cows during digestion.

Arla said it will work with Aldi, Morrisons and Tesco to trial the use of the feed additive known as Bovaer across 30 UK farms.

But the announcement has since been heavily criticized, with a number of UK shoppers threatening to boycott all three supermarkets and Arla brands, particularly Lurpak butter.

Arla’s X post announcing the lawsuit has been viewed more than five million times and received 13,000 comments.

Videos on TikTok also showed some people throwing tubs of Lurpak in the bin, while others poured cartons of Arla Cravendale milk down the sink and down the toilet.

What is Bovaer?

Bovaer is a supplement added to cattle feed, according to DSM Firmenich, the Swiss-Dutch manufacturer that makes it.

It is designed to break down in the cow’s digestive system and quickly breaks down into “naturally occurring compounds already present in the rumen (part of the stomach) of a cow”.

Cows emit methane when they burp. Research suggests that the additive can reduce methane emissions from cows’ digestion by an average of 27%.

Reducing methane is important because it is a greenhouse gas – contributing to global warming – and according to the government, agriculture – including raising cows – contributed 49% of all UK methane emissions in 2021, the latest year for which figures are available .

However, there are still questions about the long-term effectiveness and impact of additives such as Bovaer on animal health and welfare.

Bovaer was approved in the UK in December 2023, according to DSM, and is available for sale in 68 countries.

The company said that over the past decade, the additive has been part of more than “150 trials around the globe, all of which have been published in over 85 articles in peer-reviewed journals”.

Why has it backfired?

Some critics have claimed that Bovaer contains “toxic chemicals” that can cause harm to both cows and farmers, including fertility problems, while others argued that it has not been through enough testing.

“We will no longer buy milk or dairy from Morrisons, Aldi or Tesco. Ta ta,” wrote one X user under the Arla Foods post.

Another said: “I used to regularly buy your products (mostly protein shakes and yoghurt) but I won’t until you stop using Bovaer. I will also be boycotting Tesco, Morrisons and Aldi while they continues to play a role in this one.”

While others seemed to suggest that tech billionaire Bill Gates is involved in the lawsuit.

One person wrote: “We don’t want our food messed with. Read the space. Stop enabling Bill Gates and making him even richer and more powerful while using us, the consumer, as lab rats.”

Despite criticism, the Microsoft co-founder is not involved in the Arla trial or Bovaer more broadly, but last year invested millions in a rival start-up Rumin 8, which develops similar nutritional supplements.

Is Bovaer safe to use?

Responding to the backlash, Arla said in a statement that there had been a “significant amount of misinformation circulating online” and that it felt “compelled to address this by clearly and openly stating the facts”.

Citing information from DSM Firmenich, Arla said Bovaer “does not filter through to people when they consume dairy products”.

It reiterated that Bovaer has been approved for use by both the European Food Safety Authority and the UK Food Standards Agency (FSA).

“Our commitment to reducing our climate impact is unwavering, but we would never do so in a way that jeopardizes the health of our consumers or the welfare of our animals,” the company added.

An FSA spokesman said: “Milk from cows given Bovaer, a feed additive used to reduce methane emissions, is safe to drink. Bovaer has undergone rigorous safety assessments and is approved for use in the UK.”

A separate declaration of DSM Firmenich website said consumers are never exposed to Bovaer as it does not enter the cow’s milk or meat.

Referring to the product’s safety sheet, which advises users to wear masks and gloves when handling the additive, DSM said such procedures are “quite common for feed supplements” to “ensure workers take appropriate precautions”.

The company said: “We believe in science and the power of evidence-based progress. This is why our product has been thoroughly researched to ensure its health, safety and effectiveness, as confirmed after extensive checks and reviews by UK and EU food safety authorities . . .

Read more from Sky News:
Vaccine doses prepared in case of avian influenza pandemic
Killer whale new hunting technique filmed

Chairman of the National Farmers’ Union Dairy Board Paul Tompkins said that while FSA-approved products could be useful tools to help reduce methane emissions, “there are still questions about long-term effectiveness, that it can be used practically and effectively on farms , and that animal health and welfare will not be affected”.

He said it is “critical” that there is a strong evidence base to give farmers the confidence to use these products. He added that the trial between Arla, Morrisons, Aldi and Tesco “could help provide that evidence”.

Morrisons, Tesco and Aldi have been contacted by Sky News for comment.