One of King Charles’ farming advisors has claimed the UK’s biggest dairy co-operative is attempting to “re-engineer the cow” with its new trial to add a methane-suppressing supplement into cow feed.
Arla Foods announced the initiative aimed at tackling climate-heating methane emissions produced by cows during digestion.
The firm is working alongside Morrisons, Aldi and Tesco on the project, which will trial the use of a feed additive named Bovaer across 30 British farms.
Patrick Holden, an adviser to the King and the founder of the Sustainable Food Trust, told the Telegraph that Arla had “resorted to feed additives to maintain positive PR for their dairy-farming industry”.
Research suggests the supplement can reduce methane emissions from cows’ digestion by an average of 27 per cent, but concerns have been raised over its long-term effectiveness and impact on animal health and welfare.
Mr Holden said that Bovaer had been “declared safe and therefore harmless to consumers of products from treated dairy cows”.
He told the newspaper: “Feeding cows potions to reduce emissions is a classic case of the dairy industry, and I use that word advisedly, treating the symptoms rather than the cause of the problem.
“The cause in this case is separating the dairy cow from her natural environment of which she is intrinsically a part.
“Once this separation has occurred, both physically and in the mindset of society, methane becomes a problem which needs to be addressed by re-engineering the cow.”
Bovaer was authorised in the UK in April and has been approved for use in a number of countries, including EU countries, Australia and Canada. It works by suppressing an enzyme that leads to the production of methane in a cow’s stomach.
Arla makes some of the UK’s most popular dairy brands including Lurpak and Cravendale milk.
The announcement of the trial last month sparked a backlash on social media and calls for a boycott of Arla products in major supermarkets.
Videos posted on TikTok showed people throwing tubs of Lurpark in the bin or pouring cartons of Cravendale milk down the toilet.
The Food Standards Agency (FSA) said all authorised feed additives, including Bovaer, have undergone its rigorous safety assessment, which is part of a wider process to ensure products are safe and appropriate for the UK market.
Methane is a greenhouse gas and contributes to global warming.
Government figures show that agriculture – including the rearing of cows – was responsible for 49 per cent of the UK’s methane emissions in 2021.
In response to Mr Holden’s comments, a spokesperson for Arla Foods told MailOnline: “As one of the biggest food producers in the UK, Arla Foods is committed to providing high quality dairy and we would never compromise on the safety of our products, or the welfare of our animals.
“As part of Arla's ongoing commitment to reducing the impact of dairy production we are working on several projects to drive down on-farm emissions. The majority of our cows in the UK are grass based, but we still need to consider ways to help reduce methane emissions.”
The company has also dismissed inaccurate claims spreading on social media that Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates is involved in the Bovaer trial.
However, Mr Gates has invested millions into a rival start-up Rumin 8, which develops similar additives.
Paul Dover, UK agricultural director at Arla Foods, said: “We know that reducing methane is a big opportunity when it comes to improving our carbon footprint at farm level and feed additives like Bovaer have huge potential in helping us tackle this issue.”
Mr Dover said rolling out the additive at scale will “not be easy due to the cost involved”.
