The largest buyer of milk in Norway is temporarily stopping the use of Bovaer, a product that reduces cows’ methane emissions. Norske Melkeråvare is doing this as a precaution after complaints from Denmark about the supplement. According to the company, however, there are no indications that the product from the Dutch-Swiss company dsm-firmenich is harmful.
Bovaer has been approved by the European food watchdog EFSA as an additive that reduces the amount of methane livestock emit by dozens of percent. Recently, reports appeared in Denmark from dairy farmers who said their cows had become ill after using the supplement. These cases allegedly involved fever, reduced fertility, and even death.
Investigation into causes
“At this moment, no negative effects from the use of Bovaer have been reported,” says Norske Melkeråvare regarding the situation in Norway. Nevertheless, the company has “decided to pause for now while we gather more insight.” dsm-firmenich points out that Bovaer was extensively studied before it came onto the market. “No problems have been reported in the countries where Bovaer is used, apart from the alleged reports in Denmark,” a spokesperson for the nutrition and health company said.
The company says it is working with farmers, advisors, feed companies, and regulators to investigate the possible causes of the Danish complaints. “dsm-firmenich notes that Bovaer was successfully used in the first nine months of this year in Denmark by four hundred dairy farmers, without ever being identified as the cause of health problems in cows,” the company writes.
