The dairy giant Arla has had to receive strong criticism from customers when the cows in Great Britain started being fed a feed additive with Bovaer.
It has all gone so far that customers are now boycotting Arla’s products and posting videos on social media where they are washing flour and telling others about the boycott, which also Sky News reported on.
Considers that the feed is dangerous to health
The reason why customers in the UK are so angry with Arla is because they believe that the feed additive Bovaer that the cows are fed is dangerous to their health. Rebecca Danielsson, researcher at SLU, has spoken to Jordbruksaktuellt about Bovaer.
Bovaer contains the chemical preparation 3-NOP, whose task is to reduce methane emissions in ruminants.
– The researchers understood early on that they needed to block the methane formation itself and then they developed this preparation which means that methane formation cannot take place to the same extent, says Rebecca Danielsson to Agricultural news.
May increase the risk of cancer
According to Rebecca, so far it has not been seen that the feed additive Bovaer has had a negative effect on any cows. However, another metabolite is formed when the substance reaches the cow’s largest stomach rumen, which is called NOPA. NOPA has genotoxic properties.
When something is genotoxic, it means that, among other things, they can damage the cell’s genetic material, which leads to mutation and can increase the risk of cancer, writes Agricultural news. However, no studies show that it would be dangerous for humans.
– Especially for consumers, there does not seem to be such a high risk based on the studies that have been done. But I think that Arla and Norrmejerier themselves have a responsibility to follow up the product all the time over time, so that it is not something that is stored over time and affects the cows over a long period of time. For example, it has been seen with algae that bromine found in algae can have a certain storage effect, says Rebecca Danielsson to Agricultural news.
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Customers rage against Arla
In Great Britain, where the cows are given feed with the additive Bovaer on trial, the customers are angry, as they believe that Bovaer is dangerous for health.
– I used to buy your products regularly, but will not do so again until you stop using Bovaer, says one consumer, according to Sky News.
However, Arla refutes the rumors in a comment on its website and believes that the information being spread about Bovaer being dangerous is false.
“The additive is approved by the EU because it is completely harmless to animals and humans and is not transferred to the milk. It is used today in over 25 countries, including here in Sweden, where several other dairy companies already use Bovaer.
Since the publication in the UK, unfortunately, a significant amount of incorrect information has circulated online, and we feel compelled to comment on this by clearly and openly stating the facts.”, writes Arla on its homepage.
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