Background milk
Buckler's fate threatens Bovaer
Suddenly, methane inhibitor Bovaer is in the corner where the blows fall. Not necessarily because the agent is unsafe, because it has been tested to death for all possible risks. And it is true that you have to wear protective clothing when working with the active substance 3-nitrooxypropanol (3-NOP), but that also applies to working with vitamin D or zeolite.
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This is according to Wageningen animal nutrition expert Jan Dijkstra. An extensive dossier on Bovaer is available at the European Food Safety Authority EFSA and the substance has been extensively tested on rats at universities. In much higher doses than cows are ever given, and no worrisome things have been seen. Moreover, nothing of Bovaer is passed on in the milk, according to Dijkstra.
Alarm
He is surprised by the sudden commotion and sees the same reaction among colleagues in other countries. Influencers on social media sound the alarm because they do not know something and do not trust it, or do not find it natural. Then they start with what they are good at. The reputation of a product can be ruined within a few days, much faster than the long-ago flop of Heineken's alcohol-free beer, called Buckler. One New Year's Eve conference by Youp van 't Hek in 1989 and the product was done for.
Consumer boycott
Perhaps the time will turn for DSM, and with this company for many dairy producers, but perhaps it is also wise to slow down a bit and return with a slightly different formula and name. A consumer boycott - which is being called for in a number of countries - is the worst thing that can happen to a food company or an entire industry. And in the meantime, many dairy companies have already put their cards on Bovaer to achieve their climate goals.
Granted, Bovaer is not a 'natural' product and it conjures up the idea that cows need tools to function acceptably, but society also demands less emission of climate gases. Plant-based products are also required to look attractive enough for the consumer to buy.
Questions about alternatives
There are also hardly any recognized and effective alternatives for Bovaer on the market. The problem is that they all have to go through a lengthy approval process. Many of these alternatives also have bromoform as the active substance, which is carcinogenic at high doses and then also causes all kinds of inflammations in animals. Incidentally, seaweeds containing bromoform can be fed as normal animal feed, without the need for extensive approval. However, the product must then be approved as recognized animal feed, usually quite simply, Dijkstra knows.
There are also biological methane inhibitors and/or methane inhibition methods on the market, such as Copro, but even here recognition still seems to be a long way off.