British Farming Union criticises use of Bovaer in cattle feed

The British Farming Union (BFU) has slammed the use of the feed additive Bovaer in cattle rations, calling on the industry to stand against its use.

Polling its members, 82% who participated in the survey (179 participants) agreed that using methane-reducing feed additives should not be allowed, arguing that ruminants are not causing climate change in the first place.

See also: Arla faces backlash over trials with methane reducing Bovaer

The BFU argues that pastureland is actually better at sequestering carbon dioxide than woodland, and has criticised the NFU for supporting the use of such products. 

Bovaer, a feed additive that reduces methane emissions from cattle, has been approved for use in the UK.

Dutch-Swiss human and animal nutrition group DSM-Firmenich, which is behind the product, estimates that widespread adoption of Bovaer in the UK dairy sector can reduce scope-3 emissions by 10-15% equivalents per litre of milk.

BFU chairman Steve Ridsdale isn’t convinced that a feed additive is the solution to climate change and global warming.

“This is not fixing a problem, like antibiotics or a vaccine would.

“It’s another cost the farmer is going to have to carry going forward on a product that consumers don’t want in their milk and that’s not going to make a difference to global warming,” he told Farmers Weekly.

He added that supermarkets should listen to their customers and take responsibility for their own scope-3 emissions.

The NFU said that any new product or innovation needs to work in real-life situations, suit a range of farm systems and be incentivised alongside a range of other greenhouse gas (GHG) emission-reducing techniques, such as genetics, efficiency improvements and new technologies.

NFU dairy board chairman Paul Tompkins said: “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.”

Mr Tompkins added that British farmers have a huge amount to offer when it comes to producing climate-friendly food, stressing that it’s important the supply chain and government continues to work together to enable informed decision-making on GHG emissions-reducing techniques.