Arla Foods’ recent announcement of its new trial with British farmers and retailers, to examine the efficacy of Bovaer, a feed additive designed to reduce methane emissions from cattle – has resulted in widescale public condemnation and boycott calls from critics.
As part of its new Future Dairy Partnership initiative, the UK’s largest dairy cooperative has teamed up with Morrisons, Tesco and Aldi to conduct the Bovaer trial, in a collective bid from the food industry to tackle methane emissions from the agriculture sector.
The trial will be comprised of 30 Arla’s farmers who will introduce Bovaer into their cow’s diets to provide a better understanding of how methane reducing feed additives can be adopted on a wider scale across the dairy sector and its examine potential effects on farm operations.
The company has claimed that the inclusion of the chemical additive can effectively reduce methane producing microbe activity by 27%, citing research undertaken at the University of Aarhus to justify the introduction of the trial.
UK agricultural director at Arla Foods, Paul Dover said: “We know that reducing methane is a big opportunity when it comes to improving our carbon footprint at farm level and feed additives like Bovaer® have huge potential in helping us tackle this issue.
“However, rolling them out at scale will not be easy due to the cost involved, so it’s important we understand more about their usage potential and then work together with the industry, government and our partners to support farmers if we want to harness the opportunity they present in driving down emissions.”
News of the trial has sparked public debate on social media, with many consumers questioning the long-term health risks associated with the feed additive’s inclusion into the dairy food chain.
The more virulent critics are even calling on a boycott of Arla’s products and its various stockists, while others are pummeling conspiracies theories that Bill Gates has invested in the company behind Bovaer for nefarious means.
Bovaer feed additive trial
Peter Sanford on X said: “URGENT BOYCOTT: Tesco, Morrisons, Aldi. Any store that sells product from the #ARLA Initiative containing the Chemical Additive Bovaer 10. BOYCOTT ALL.
“These Companies connected to #BillGates are using YOU and your CHILDREN as Guinea Pigs. The Additive has terrible side effects, and much like the #Covid Vaccine, the murderous results will only become fully known at the Ten Year Stage”.
While another X user called Megan broadcasted that she “will be avoiding Arla products like the plague” on the back of the trial.
This public outcry comes in spite of safety assurances delivered by the Food Standards Agency in the UK on the back of rigorous testing which found the food additive safe for consumption and does not pose a risk to health for consumers or animals.
When used as recommended, Bovaer is designed to break down in the cows’ digestive systems and quickly decompose into naturally occurring compounds already present in the rumen, therefore, the product cannot be found in the animal’s milk or meat, the manufacturer asserted.
Bovaer has also been approved by the various regulatory powers in place in more than 68 other countries, including Australia, Canada, North America, Brazil and the European Union Bloc.
Dsm-firmenich, the company behind Bovaer, released a statement in response to the ongoing controversy, which it says is founded on “mistruths and misinformation about its safety”.
In the statement, the company reaffirmed both the efficacy and safety credentials of the additive, reference the extensive research underscoring the additive which includes over 150 studies undertaken in 28 countries.
“Regulatory and scientific trials show that Bovaer® poses no risk to health for consumers nor animals and it has no impact on milk production or reproduction,” the statement read.
It also dispelled myths relating to it’s financial backers, discrediting claims that Bill Gates was in any way related to the company.
“Contrary to what is stated in recent messages, Bovaer® is fully developed and owned by dsm firmenich, and has no other investors. Bill Gates is not involved in the development of Bovaer®,” it added.
The National Farmers’ Union also weighed into the debate, reaffirming the facts regarding the regulatory and scientific trials that have been used to verify Bovaer’s safety profile.
NFU Dairy Board chair, Paul Tompkins, said in a statement released today that the level of public concern generated in response to the trial served as a “valuable reminder that we must tread the path towards sustainability with care and wider engagement”.
“While new FSA-approved products could be useful tools in helping to reduce methane emissions and supporting sustainable supply chains in the UK, questions do still remain linked to long-term efficacy, how they can be used practically and effectively on different farm systems, cost and, importantly, consumer buy-in.
“Only by exhausting a robust certification process, with health approvals and extensive trials, should any new feed product be introduced into our cows’ diets,” he added.
