Europe’s biggest dairy company Arla is facing a backlash after giving cows Bovaer, a synthetic additive to their feed in an attempt to cut their methane emissions as part of the Net Zero drive. The Telegraph has more.
Arla, which makes brands including Lurpak butter and Cravendale milk, said it was working with Morrisons, Tesco and Aldi to trial giving cows the additive Bovaer.
Thirty of Arla’s 9,000 farmers will test how the additives can be introduced into normal feeding routines, with the aim of then rolling Bovaer out more broadly.
Arla said Bovaer had been found to reduce methane emissions from cows by around 27%.
Morrisons, Tesco and Aldi said it was a “great way of testing out where we can drive change at scale to bring down emissions”.
However, the announcement sparked a backlash on social media, with some shoppers raising concerns about the use of additives in their groceries.
Some went as far as to say they would no longer shop at supermarkets involved in the trial, while others urged the grocers to label any products which may have come from the farms using the additive.
There is no suggestion that the additive is not safe for consumers, with the U.K.’s Food Standard Agency having approved it for use.
The regulator also said that Bovaer poses “an acceptable” risk to the environment.
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