Norwegian co-op pauses use of Bovaer with suppliers

It follows claims from Danish farmers that using the methane-reducing supplement has caused adverse side-effects on their herds

A Norwegian co-op has paused use of Bovaer amongst milk suppliers pending the conclusion of the Danish investigation. File photo

Suppliers of the Norwegian co-op Norsk Melkeråvare have been asked to pause the use of Bovaer.

The co-op have asked its suppliers to pause the use of Bovaer, the methane-reducing supplement for ruminants on farms, pending the conclusion of the Danish investigation.

Following claims from Danish farmers that using Bovaer has caused adverse side-effects on their herds, the Norwegian co-op has made the precautionary decision to suspend use of the supplement in suppliers’ herds until a conclusion has been reached from the investigation.

Speaking on the decision, director of Norsk Melkeråvare, Johnny Ødegård, said: “We will reassess whether the use of Bovaer will be resumed in January or earlier if developments warrant it.” 

He emphasised that Bovaer has been researched internationally for over 15 years and has been approved by the Norwegian Food Safety Authority and the EU's food safety agency EFSA.

The director continued by saying the co-op is working closely with researchers within the MetanHUB project. MetanHUB is a government-supported project through the agricultural agreement of 2023 to 2024.

The project was established to clarify whether, under Norwegian conditions, methane production from ruminants can be reduced by using feed additives.