Dairy cattle in Scotland.Russell Cheyne/Reuters
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A British trial of cattle feed additive Bovaer sparked false and misleading claims about its safety for humans and animals, the involvement of Bill Gates and how the additive affects human fertility. Social media posts making misleading these claims have been seen millions of times, driven some to discard their milk and sparked calls for a boycott.
Bovaer is the brand name for 3-nitrooxypropanol (3-NOP) that reduces the emission of methane by an average of about 30 per cent for dairy cattle and 45 per cent for beef cattle. It works by suppressing the enzyme that creates methane, a potent greenhouse gas, when cows digest their food. Reducing methane from farming can help achieve goals to limit greenhouse gas emissions.
Dutch multinational dsm-firmenich who developed Bovaer said in a fact sheet that the U.K. trial announcement, “caused mistruths and misinformation about its safety.”
Internationally tested and approved
Bovaer is authorized for use in more than 65 countries including Canada, Australia, Brazil, Chile, Mexico, Pakistan, Switzerland and the United States. A range of scientific testing showed the additive to be safe and effective with no impact on milk or meat products. Bovaer is added at a ratio of 1 gram per 20 kg of feed. One gram is less than a pinch of salt.
Canada approved Bovaer in January after a two-year trial involving 15,000 beef cattle in Alberta. Patrick Girard, manager of media relations at the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, told The Globe in an e-mailed statement that their evaluation, “supports the safety and efficacy of 3-NOP and its intended purpose to reduce rumen methane emissions from cattle when used as a component of a gut modifier feed product.”
The CFIA said 3-NOP is rapidly metabolized into naturally occurring compounds already present in the rumen of cattle, so is not present in milk or meat and doesn’t reach consumers.
Amie Peck, manager of public and stakeholder engagement at the Canadian Cattle Association, said they did not know of any beef cattle in Canada being fed Bovaer. She said it is an added cost while not increasing production or feed efficiency on farms. Ms. Peck said the CCA trusted the CFIA’s science-based process for food and ingredient safety.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved Bovaer in May and said it met its safety and efficacy requirements. The European Union authorized it for dairy cows in 2022. The U.K. Food Standards Agency found Bovaer is metabolized by cows so does not pass into milk and meat and the additive is safe when used at the approved dose.
Arla Foods, the dairy company trialling Bovaer at 30 U.K. farms, said its commitment to reducing its climate impact would not jeopardize the health of its consumers or the welfare of its animals. Arla is reportedly continuing the trial despite the calls for a boycott of their products that may contain milk from cows fed the additive.
The backlash in the U.K. has led some dairy farms to distance themselves from Bovaer and announce they don’t use it in their feed.
“Worries over new technologies are nothing new. However, the use of food additives is quite strictly controlled in the U.K. and Europe,” Oliver Jones, a professor of chemistry at RMIT University in Melbourne, Australia, said in a statement. “There is no evidence that Bovaer causes cancer, as it does not damage DNA, or that it is dangerous to consume milk or other products from cows treated with it,” he said.
No connection to Bill Gates
Bill Gates has no connection to Bovaer or dsm-firmenich, but many social media posts link the two. Mr. Gates is a common target for false claims and conspiracies around vaccines, COVID-19, population control, climate change and surveillance.
Screenshot of a post on Facebook (left) and X falsely linking Bill Gates to Bovaer.Facebook/X
Mr. Gates, through his climate investment firm Breakthrough Energy Ventures, has invested in Rumin8, an Australian company developing feed additives to also reduce methane emissions from livestock.
Handling information falsely claimed to be warning label
A document from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has been misleadingly claimed to be a warning label for Bovaer. Dsm-firmenich said it is a standard sheet with guidelines for people handling Bovaer at processing facilities. It said that such procedures are common for feed supplements to ensure workers wear appropriate personal protective equipment to avoid risks from small dust particles.
The CFIA’s Mr. Girard confirmed in his statement that the warnings were to avoid risks associated with occupational handling of ingredients and additives in their concentrated forms. The statement said farmers can safely handle Bovaer by following standard safety instructions consistent with regular farm practices.
Screenshot of an FDA document with the misleading claim it is a warning label for Bovaer. It is a guide to safely handling the additive when preparing feed.X
Fertility concerns exaggerated from research findings
Ian Musgrave, senior lecturer in pharmacology at the University of Adelaide, Australia, addressed fertility concerns around 3-NOP in an article for The Conversation.
He wrote that research in rats and cows did find that doses of 300mg to 500 mg per kilo of body weight resulted in ovarian and testicular shrinkage. However, a 70 kg person would need to consume 21g to 35g (around 2 tablespoons) of pure 3-NOP every day for weeks to see this effect.
Mr. Musgrave noted that no human would be exposed to this amount as 3-NOP does not enter milk (it is fully metabolized in the cow’s gut), and no cow will be exposed to these levels either.
The CCA suggests people concerned about their food should connect with a producer that meets their preferences in how livestock are fed or supplemented.