A delicate row is escalating in the UK following the announcement by one of the region’s biggest dairy processors that it was using a feed additive to suppress methane production in cows.

The controversy started when Arla Foods, a Danish-Swedish company which owns the UK’s biggest dairy cooperative, announced it was trialing the feed additive Bovaer on 30 of its farms across the UK.

The move, which the company saw as being proactive in reducing methane production across farms, has not gone down well with consumers who took to social media en masse voicing deep concern over the project.

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Their fears, as claimed by thousands of consumers, were that the compounds that are used to manufacture Bovaer are extremely harmful to human and animal health.

Even though the company that manufactures Bovaer, and several other food and agri bodies confirmed it is safe to use, consumers have joined forces to condemn its use.

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Taking to social media outlets such as TikTok, X and facebook, they feared the additive was harmful to the animals, to the farmer and consumers drinking the milk.

GAINING TRACTION

Almost overnight, an alliance of consumers had grown objecting to the additive, and many threats made to boycott Arla products, especially Lurpak butter, in three of the UK’s main supermarkets that stocked it.

In fact, many consumers recorded videos of themselves pouring Arla milk down sinks and toilets, posting them on social media and gained a lot of traction for their movement.

However, in a bid to quash the rumors, a number of bodies have posted statements to contradict the claims, including Arla, Bovaer’s manufacturer and the UK Food Standards Agency.

Firstly, in a long statement, DSM Firmenich who make the additive addressed what it called “a lot of misinformation on social media.”

The company said, “The recent announcement of the Bovaer trials in the UK has caused mistruths and misinformation about its safety. We would like to bring you the facts and dispel any misconceptions.

“Bovaer is a superior feed supplement approved and considered safe by UK and EU Food Safety Authorities, as well as multiple other authorities. It consistently reduces methane, one of the most powerful greenhouse gasses, in cows. It is included in cow feed at a ratio of 1 gram per 20kg of feed.

“Provided it is used as recommended, Bovaer is fully metabolized by the cow and is not present in milk or meat, so there is no consumer exposure. It never enters into milk or meat and therefore does not reach consumers.

“Regulatory and scientific trials show that it poses no risk to health for consumers nor animals and it has no impact on milk production or reproduction.”

The company added that a cow fed with Bovaer, which is currently sold in 68 countries, can reduce CO2e emissions by one ton per year.

And it also quashed rumors that Bill Gates was involved stating: “Bill Gates is not involved in the development of Bovaer.”

Then came a statement from Arla insisting the additive was safe. Arla said, “Unfortunately, since we made the announcement, a significant amount of misinformation has been circulating online, and we feel compelled to address this by clearly and openly stating the facts.

“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.”

Arla also repeated the manufacturer’s assurances that Bovaer does not filter through to humans when they consume dairy products.

And it emphasized regulatory bodies, such as the European Food Safety Authority and the UK Food Standards Agency have approved its use based on evidence that it does not harm the animals or negatively impact their health, productivity, or the quality of milk.

The UK’s Food Standards Agency gave its own assurances and said, “Milk from cows given Bovaer is safe to drink. The additive is metabolised by the cows so does not pass into the milk.

“Bovaer, a brand name for the additive 3-Nitrooxypropanol or 3-NOP, has undergone rigorous safety assessments as part of the FSA’s market authorization process, and is approved for use in Great Britain. It has also been approved for use in other countries including in the EU, Australia, Canada and the U.S.”

As a result of the thousands of posts on social media objecting to the use of Bovaer many dairy farmers have also posted comments and videos stating that their farms “do not, and never will, use Bovaer.”