UK Consumers Boycott Dairy Cooperative Over Trial of Methane-Reducing Feed Additive

UK consumers are boycotting dairy products because of a trial of a methane-reducing feed additive called Bovaer. Arla Foods, the largest dairy cooperative in the UK, will be using feed additives at 30 farms across the UK. This comes as part of a continued push for reducing carbon and methane to reduce climate change caused by humans.

The FDA approved the use of Bovaer in the United States in May, which contains the primary ingredient 3-nitrooxypropanol (3-NOP). The FDA’s approval letter states, “Based on the information provided in your letter, Bovaer® 10 is an article (other than food) intended to affect the structure or any function of the body of an animal, and therefore it is a drug.” The FDA said this drug would fall under the purview of the Center for Veterinary Medicine (CVM) and they have considered “refraining from enforcement of requirements” for new animal drug approvals.

The FDA states that after CVM’s evaluation, they have no questions regarding the product after reviewing the data provided by the manufacturer Elanco. The letter said, “Although Bovaer® 10 is an unapproved drug, at this time, we do not intend to initiate enforcement action with respect to the drug requirements listed above for Elanco’s marketing Bovaer® 10 or use provided FDA continues to have no questions or public health concerns about Bovaer® 10.”

The FDA said Bovaer is “expected to pose a low risk to humans,” but the Bovaer data attached to the end of the letter issues a warning. The warning says, “Not for human use. Caution should be exercised when handling this product. 3-nitrooxypropanol may damage male fertility and reproductive organs, is potentially harmful when inhaled, and is a skin and eye irritant. Personal protective gear, including eyewear, a dust mask, and impervious gloves, should be worn when handling this product. Operators should wash hands after handling. If accidental eye exposure occurs, rinse eyes thoroughly with water. The safety data sheet contains more detailed occupational safety information.”

This product is currently being used for dairy cows, so that is causing concern for milk consumers at the supermarket. This week Jeffrey Jaxen reported on current Bovaer boycotts and pointed to a previous instance of a successful protest. Monsanto had an artificial growth hormone for dairy cows, and traces of this hormone were measurable in the milk.

Wal-Mart announced in 2008 that their milk brand Great Value would only source milk from farms that don’t use this artificial growth hormone. The FDA said milk from cows treated with this hormone is not harmful to human health, but Wal-Mart made the decision based on consumer demand. Shortly after that, Monsanto divested from the product because it was no longer financially viable.

Jaxen also reported about a 2021 study on rats given Bovaer, which said “In tissue, the highest concentrations were found in the liver, adrenal glands, and kidney. Low concentrations were found in fat, muscle, and brain.” Jaxen pulled some other quotes from the study, including “Based on the above, the FEEDAP panel concludes that the genotoxicity potential of 3-NOP cannot be ruled out.”

The study also states, “All females at 500 mg/kw body weight showed evidence of mating, but none of the females became pregnant and no corpora lutea or implantation sites were found in any of these females.” Regarding males, the study said “Slight to severe decrease in spermatogenesis was observed in the testes of most males of the 300 mg/kw body weight per day group.” The study adds that “Sperm motility was reduced in most of the males” in this group as well as decreased sperm counts. The authors conclude that “no evidence of recovery was observed after 13 weeks.”

The Bovaer warning acknowledges a reduction in fertility for human males who are exposed to 3-NOP, the primary ingredient in the product. This study reflects the same fertility issue in rats. If cows also have fertility issues, that will make it difficult for farmers to maintain their current levels of production.

The HighWire has reported the difficulty farmers are facing as climate change regulations and H5N1 guidance attempt to move people away from consuming meat and dairy. Jaxen reported on the C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group report titled “The Future of Urban Consumption in a 1.5℃ World.” This document sets a goal of eliminating meat and dairy consumption by the year 2050.

The Jaxen report also brought light to the original UN document from 2006 titled “Livestock’s Long Shadow” as the basis for the current movement to reduce methane emissions in cows and to reduce meat consumption globally. That document concludes that 18% of global greenhouse gas emissions come from livestock. However, Dr. Frank Mitloehner wrote a counter study and found that livestock emissions account for less than 3% of total anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions.

Pierre Gerber, one of the authors of the UN document, said Mitloehner was correct: “I must say honestly that he has a point – we factored in everything for meat emissions, and we didn’t do the same thing with transport; we just used the figure from the IPCC.”

President Joe Biden signed an executive order in 2021 that calls for net-zero emissions by 2050, which aligns with the C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group report. The order calls for all “principal agencies” to “develop and implement annual Sustainability Plans, based on annual guidance provided by the Council on Environmental Quality.” The order outlines over 20 agencies, including the USDA, DOJ, Secretary of State, Homeland Security, Transportation, Education, and the Department of Health and Human Services.

Many consumers are concerned about the safety of drinking milk from livestock given Bovaer because the warning says “not for human use.” Meanwhile, the FDA and CVM determined that the “unapproved drug” does not require “enforcement action” because they have “no public health concerns.” The product is being used as part of the goal to reach zero emissions by 2050, which has a stated goal of ending animal culture within the next 25 years.