Last week we announced that we would be running a trial of a cow feed supplement called Bovaer®, a product that has been researched for over 15 years and is already used in many countries around the world. Bovaer® has the potential to reduce methane emissions from cows and is part of our efforts to reduce the carbon footprint of our products.
Unfortunately, since we made this 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 jeopardises the health of our consumers or the welfare of our animals.
DSM Firmenich - the manufacturers of Bovaer® - provides these facts about the product thats fully approved for use in the UK:
- Bovaer® does not filter through to humans when they consume dairy products.
- Regulatory bodies, such as the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) 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
- Bovaer® has undergone extensive testing to ensure it is safe for cows and humans.
- Bovaer® is specifically designed to break down in the cow's digestive system and quickly decomposes into naturally occurring compounds already present in the stomach of a cow. This means it does not pass from the cow into the milk.
- Bovaer® has been worked on for 15 years, and is being used in approximately 25 countries across more than 200,000 cows
- In December 2023, Bovaer® was approved in the United Kingdom – it is currently approved for use in 68 countries
- You can read more about the Bovaer® product here, on the DSM Firmenich website, manufacturers of Bovaer® - dsm-firmenich-statement-bovaer-november-2024.pdf
Alongside the 2,000 farmers across the UK who own Arla, we work hard to produce healthy & quality food every day. We work to ensure that this is done safely, whilst also working to reduce our impact on the environment.
