Additive against climate change: Cheese producers want to reduce methane emissions

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Milk suppliers who give their cows the feed additive Bovaer, which reduces methane emissions, will receive a bonus in the future, the Bel Group and a dairy farmers’ association have announced. Besides carbon dioxide, methane is the most important greenhouse gas and contributes significantly to climate change.

The manufacturer of Bovaer is the Dutch-Swiss company DSM-Firmenich. According to him, a quarter teaspoon of the product per day per cow is enough to reduce the methane production of dairy cows by 30 percent and that of beef cattle by 45 percent. Bovaer thus inhibits an enzyme responsible for the production of methane in the cattle stomach. This means that one ton of CO2 equivalents can be saved per cow per year.

Ten euros per thousand litres

The European Food Safety Authority considers the additive to be safe for animals and humans. A test at five companies also showed that Bovaer is easy to apply, according to Bel and the association. The cheese manufacturer wants to pay dairy farmers the premium from the second half of 2024; it must be ten euros per thousand litres.

Danish dairy company joins

The Danish dairy company Arla also announced a large-scale trial of Bovaer last year. The drug would be administered to 10,000 dairy cows on more than 50 farms in Denmark, Sweden and Germany. If successful, the trial should be expanded to 20,000 cows this year, it was said at the time. The Arla Group is owned by almost 9,000 farmers from Germany, Belgium, Denmark, Great Britain, Luxembourg, Sweden and the Netherlands.

(AFP)

Source: Blick