Bovaer in dairy cattle feed. What do we know?

*Obviously should read "dairy cattle" - not fairy!

Thank you LilyGransnet!

Have done a little internet search, not reassuring

I've never heard of it.

Well I thought that too.
Why is it allowed without more long term research I wonder?

BBC Radio 4 Inside Science has an item on Bovaer in this week’s episode.it makes it clear that there is none of this feed additive in the milk.

A lot of the milk in my area is from Cotteswold Dairy, and they put a statement out on Facebook today to say they are not using Bovaer. It might be worth checking their webpages if you know who your milk is produced by.

The trials do show that the additive doesn't pass into meat or milk.
There doesn't appear to be any scientific evidence of concern contradicting this.The online scares are to do with the compounds used in production, but are taking this out of context as small amounts are used in feed, to work in the gut, & most will remain in the gut. Some's absorbed into the bloodstream but this is dealt with & excreted in urine or bile before it gets into muscle or udder.
It's a bit like Trump saying disinfectant kills Covid so all we have to do is drink disinfectant, over-simplying & taking out of context info from the web.
It has been developed fairly quickly, how thorough the trials are that look into long-term effects on the cow's health I don't know.That could be a concern. But I would certainly drink milk from Arla from what I've read.Cows will suffer along with us if global warming is unchecked.

I’m not sure why people are getting their knickers in a twist over this yet seemingly not to care about the hormones, antibiotics, poor conditions, separation of mothers and calves, and the short brutal lives of dairy cows in industrialised dairy production.

I found this, from an article in the Telegraph:

Emma Gatten
Environment Editor
05 August 2024 7:22am GMT+01:00
“Feeding cows pills to suppress their burps would be 60 times cheaper than other efforts to remove greenhouse gas emissions, new analysis has found.

The cost of pills that reduce methane from dairy cows could cut emissions by around 30 per cent would add half a penny to a pint of milk, and should be backed in new eco farming subsidies, Green Alliance said.

Agriculture accounts for around 10 per cent of the UK’s emissions, with the majority coming from methane from cow and sheep burps. Methane is 84 times more potent than carbon dioxide, although it only persists in the atmosphere for 20 years.

Green Alliance said using a pill that suppresses methane production would be 60 times more cost-effective than nature-based actions already supported by the Government’s Sustainable Farming Incentive, the post-Brexit subsidy scheme.”

You have a point vegansrock, but seperation of mothers & calves is not so different from weaning pups & seperating from mum at 6 weeks in commercial kennels.
Calves are a bit younger but they're born after a much longer gestation & much more independent at birth.

Cont.

Bovaer was approved for use in England, Scotland and Wales in December 2023 by the Food Standards Agency.

Green Alliance said it was the only available feed additive for which there is strong evidence that it reduces methane emissions significantly when fed to cows regularly, and which is safe for animals and humans.

It is most efficient when used with dairy cows because they are typically fed indoors at least once a day, making it relatively easy to administer.

Earlier this year, Morrisons said it would source its mince, burgers and steaks from cows that had been fed on seaweed-based methane suppressants.

The Department for Environment Food & Rural Affairs (Defra) is currently developing a trial programme to test the use of methane suppressants and has considered mandating their use in England by 2030, while the Scottish Government is considering subsidies.

Farmers in Belgium and Slovenia receive subsidies, which cover up to 80 per cent of the costs of these products.

Some green groups advocate focusing on reducing the amount of milk and dairy consumed, arguing that methane suppressants cannot cut enough greenhouse gases.

A Defra spokesman said: “Reducing methane emissions is crucial in tackling the climate and nature crisis, the greatest long-term global challenge we face.

“The new government will help farmers to adopt more climate friendly practices whilst also supporting them to strengthen Britain’s food security.”

vegansrock

I’m not sure why people are getting their knickers in a twist over this yet seemingly not to care about the hormones, antibiotics, poor conditions, separation of mothers and calves, and the short brutal lives of dairy cows in industrialised dairy production.

Perhaps it’s because selfishly it’s about whether it harms us?
We don’t seem as bothered about the cows per se, sadly?

I don’t know anything about this topic but my curiosity is now piqued.

I posted about this on another thread, will try to find it.

On the porridge and crumpets thread in answer to pascal30:

Arla is a company with different brand names and supplies dairy products to supermarkets and other outlets.

There is controversy at the moment because Arla is supposedly trialling Boevar which is an additive to cattle feed which allegedly prevents methane emissions.
Apparently this chemical does not go through into milk or meat, so we are told.
Consumers will judge for themselves.

www.fwi.co.uk/business/markets-and-trends/dairy-markets/arla-faces-backlash-over-trials-with-methane-reducing-bovaer

Last Monday's Inside Science on Radio Four explained it perfectly. A small amount goes in the feed one end, metabolises in one of the stomachs. It does not come out in the milk. I shall have to listen again. I know they did say that several other ingredients were added at the same time, but social media didn't pick up on them.

www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m0025l2n
(I copied and pasted this from the BBC Sounds site but it hasn't blued. It was easy to find though.)

Oh, it has now!!

It does not come out in the milk.
Allegedly.

If it did - would it help with human flatulence?

I wondered when someone was going to start a thread on this - my FB feeds are full of it! Everyone pouring their milk down the loo, asking which supermarkets/dairies/manufacturers are and aren't taking part.
As has been said higher up the thread, it has been amply demonstrated that the additive doesn't pass into milk or meat. Hopefully it will have a positive effect on the methane in the environment. Nobody seems to be bothered about that any more!

I think we are worried but I'm more worried about the loss of forests, habitats destroyed for growing soya etc and plastic pollution.

Carbon capture and clearing up plastic pollution should be foremost on the agenda.

Seen on FB:

Just avoid/ cut down meat and dairy altogether if you are worried about climate change and animal welfare.

I think I'm interested in the long term health of the animals - as I said above we only buy organic dairy so it won't affect me personally.