A major UK trial of a controversial feed additive designed to reduce emissions of the planet-warming methane gas in dairy cows has ended.
Arla foods, owner of the largest partnership in the UK, is currently evaluating the results of tests on 30 farms before any decision on future use.
The launch of bovaer last year saw concerns raised due to food safety, as well as false theories posted online, with Videos on social media show people flushing milk down the toilet in protest.
BOVAER is now the focus of an investigation in Denmark after farmers raised new concerns but DSM-Firmenich said the additive was “proven, effective”.
The company’s spokesperson added that it has been “successfully used for more than three years by thousands of farmers in more than 25 countries.”
But he said: “We know that in recent days, some farmers have raised concerns about cow health.
“We are actively engaging with the relevant organizations to ensure that all of these concerns are fully investigated and properly addressed.
“In previously reported cases, Bover has not been identified as a major cause of health concerns being raised.”
Methane is one of the most powerful greenhouse gases and, although it does not hang in the air like carbon dioxide, it is 28 times stronger over a 100-year period.
It is claimed bober – a brand name for the additive 3-nitrooxyprop It works by inhibiting the enzymes in the cow’s stomach that produce gas.
The supplement, which is added to small amounts of cattle feed, has been approved for use by regulators in the UK and The UK government says milk from cows supplied by bober is safe to drink.
A standard of food security insurance in the age of 2023 concluded that there are no safety concerns when bovaer is used at the approved dosage.
But it is unclear whether the additive is widely used in the UK, with an Arla spokesman saying the findings of its trial were “currently being reviewed”.
The National Farmers’ Union (NFU) said “Animal welfare must continue to be the highest priority” in any new product.
Paul Tompkin, who oversees the Board of NFU Dairy, said: “Following the reports of investigations in Denmark on any developments on any developments on any developments to ensure the impact of any product known.”
In Denmark, it is mandatory to use methane-reducing animal feed As part of the government’s plan to reduce the environmental impact from agriculture.
About 1,400 out of 2,000 dairy farms in Denmark currently use bober.
Jannik Elmegaeard, of the Danish Food and Veterinary Administration, told the BBC that they “know that some herd owners are showing BOVERS” but it is “unclear how many cows are affected”.
He added that they are “closely watching” the situation and collecting data so that they can determine the cause of the diseases but stressed that a long and thorough approval process “.
DENMARS’s Aarhus University has conducted several studies on feed additives As part of its research on reducing methane emissions from cattle and providing advice to the Danish authorities.
Professor Charlotte Lauridsen, from the Department of Veterinary Medicine and Veterinary Medicine, says about the concerns raised by the media – with fevers, dead cows – has not been observed in our many studies. “
But he added that the reports are being taken seriously and researchers are now collecting samples from herds where problems have been reported.
A spokesman for BOVERO manufacturer DSM-Firmenich said the company “is aware that in recent days, some farmers have raised concerns about the health of the cows”.
“We are actively engaging with the relevant organizations to ensure that all concerns are fully investigated and properly addressed,” he explained.
“In previously reported cases, Bover has not been identified as a major cause of health concerns being raised.”
He added that animal welfare is the company’s “highest priority” and that “baboer is a proven, effective product used by thousands of farmers in more than 25 countries.”