Why People In The UK Are Pouring Milk Down The Toilet

Dairy brand Arla has begun using a feed additive called Bovaer in a bid to reduce methane emissions from cows in its supply chain. But the company’s efforts to make dairy more “sustainable” have backfired. Shoppers are angry — not about the greenwashing potential of feed additives, but about Bovaer’s perceived threats to health.

On November 26, Arla announced it would start trialing the supplement on 30 UK farms. Arla is working on the trial with Aldi, Morrisons, and Tesco, to which it supplies dairy product such as milk and butter.

In response, people threatened to boycott the supermarkets and Arla. Some have posted videos of themselves on TikTok throwing tubs of Lurpak butter in the bin and pouring cartons of Arla Cravendale milk down the sink and the toilet.

What is Bovaer?

Dairy cows — SGr – stock.adobe.com Bovaer inhibits cows’ methane-producing enzyme

Bovaer is a synthetic compound that inhibits the enzyme which produces methane inside cows’ digestive systems. Arla says it can reduce methane emissions by 27 percent on average, depending on what the cows are fed and how they are farmed.

The compound received authorization in the UK in December 2023, and is available for sale in 68 countries. Studies have found that it carries minimal safety risks for cows or humans consuming dairy products. It has received approval from regulatory bodies including the UK’s Food Standards Agency and the European Food Safety Authority.

‘Misinformation’

Though there is a lack of evidence for Bovaer being unsafe, social media users have expressed concerns about it being fed to cows. One TikTok user claimed it’s “not safe” for human consumption and called it “poison” while throwing a tub of Lurpak in the bin. Another of the same user’s videos shows them pouring Arla milk down the toilet. A different user said “not in my house” and poured Arla Cravendale milk down their kitchen sink.

Some have claimed that they don’t want Bill Gates tampering with their food. Gates is not involved with Bovaer; he made an unrelated investment into Rumin 8, a start-up which is also developing feed additives. A website has been set up listing “Bovaer free farms.”

Arla has since released a statement to correct the “misinformation” spreading online. It refers to Bovaer manufacturer DSM Firmenich’s assurances that Bovaer is safe. The statement says the additive does not get into humans’ systems through consuming dairy and that it has undergone extensive safety testing.

Responding to the controversy, Alastair Hay, Emeritus Professor of Environmental Toxicology at the University of Leeds, said in a statement: “[T]here is no evidence to suggest that at the doses approved for use in animals that the additive is a risk to humans through consumption of milk.” An FSA spokesperson said Bovaer had “undergone rigorous safety assessments.”

The bigger risk is greenwashing

Bovaer may be safe for consumption, but it’s effectiveness as a climate solution for cows remains questionable.

Jonathan Foley, executive director of Project Drawdown, has explained that there are huge “logistical and economic challenges to providing feed additives – twice daily, in most cases – to the world’s 3–4 billion ruminant livestock.” A lot of this challenge comes from the fact that a large proportion of these cows are grazed on pasture, making it hard to give them additives. Foley adds that any decrease in methane from additives “would still do nothing to reduce the emissions associated with land use, manure, feed production, and other drivers of livestock’s climate footprint.”

Using solutions such as feed additives effectively requires an intensification of animal farming so that their conditions can be properly controlled. Intensively farming animals is also more efficient, meaning emissions per animal can be lowered even if total emissions keep rising from increasing meat and dairy production.