Arla faces backlash over trials with methane reducing Bovaer

Direct milk sellers have taken to social media to distance themselves from Arla Foods and its trial of the feed additive Bovaer on UK supplier farms after a consumer backlash to the study, including boycotts of products made by the dairy co-operative.

Arla announced last week that it would test Bovaer, a feed additive which suppresses a methane-producing enzyme, on more than 30 farms.

What it hadn’t reckoned with was the public reaction to this trial, amid concern about any human health implications.

Even though the product is approved by the Food Standards Agency, shoppers have seemingly tried to avoid Arla dairy products in supermarkets.

See also: New Arla trial looks to cut methane emissions from dairy cows

As momentum has grown around the controversy, one of the most vocal groups has been farmers who sell milk direct to the public, who have been keen to set the record straight on what they feed their cows.

Some, such as Attleborough Hall Farm at Attleborough, Norfolk, have stressed that, despite being an Arla member, they are not taking part in the feed additive trial.

Others have “self-declared” on a new website, Bovaer Free Farms, that they don’t use the feed additive.

Questions asked

The Soil Association said it had received a large number of questions about whether this feed additive would be permitted for use in organic systems, and confirmed that it would not.

Dairy farmers who have directly contacted Farmers Weekly amid concern, said the backlash has been caused by confusion between the Arla trial and one being funded by Microsoft founder Bill Gates using a different product.

Arla also made this point in its statement to Farmers Weekly.

“The information spreading online surrounding our link to Bill Gates and the safety of the Bovaer feed additive is completely false,” it said.

“The health and safety of both consumers and animals is always our number one priority, and Arla would never compromise on the quality or high standards of the milk we produce.”

Approved product

Bovaer is made by Dutch company DSM and is approved for use in more than 55 countries, including the UK and EU as well as Australia, Canada and Switzerland.

The company says a quarter teaspoon of the additive, which suppresses a methane-producing enzyme, can reduce a dairy cow’s methane emissions by 30%.

In its statement, Arla added: “Bovaer has already been extensively and safely used across Europe and at no point during the trial will there be any impact on the milk, as it does not pass from the cow into the milk.

“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.”