Lurpak owner defends methane-reducing dietary supplement trial despite boycott calls

The owner of Danish butter brand Lurpak has defended its recently announced trial to add an anti-methane supplement to cows’ feed as calls to boycott the brand continue.

Arla Foods, owner of the UK’s largest dairy cooperative, announced the initiative to tackle global warming-related methane emissions produced by cows during digestion.

The company is working alongside Morrisons, Aldi and Tesco on the project, which will test the use of the food additive Bovaer on 30 UK farms.

Research suggests that this supplement can reduce methane emissions from cow digestion by 27% on average, but questions remain about the long-term effectiveness of these additives and their impact on health and well-being. be animals.

Many British shoppers joined an online storm on Friday calling for a boycott of Arla brands, particularly Lurpak, with several accusing it of being “woke”.

“I just threw my Lurpak in the trash,” one user wrote on X, formerly Twitter.

Another said: “Happy to consume dairy from small, independent farms that don’t participate in these crazy practices. »

Many claimed the additive was added to the milk itself – rather than in the feed of the cows that produced it – and others suggested tech billionaire Bill Gates was involved.

One user wrote: “I’ve been using Lurpak for years. I am no longer prepared to encourage them if they add this chemical to the milk they use to make their product, it is completely wrong on every level, in my opinion, to impose this on us.

Another said: “@Lurpak I used to buy your product but will now stop since you are now using Bill Gates poison in your food. »

The Microsoft co-founder is not involved in the Arla trial, or Bovaer more broadly, but last year invested millions in a rival start-up, Rumin 8, which is developing similar additives.

An Arla spokesperson said the health and safety of consumers and animals is the company’s “number one priority”.

“Reports circulating online regarding our connection to Bill Gates are completely false and claims regarding his involvement in our products are inaccurate,” they told the Grocer.

“Bovaer has already been widely used safely across Europe and at no point during the trial will there be any impact on the milk we produce as it does not pass from the cow into the milk,” insisted the spokesperson.

“Regulatory bodies, such as the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) and the UK Food Standards Agency, have approved its use based on evidence demonstrating that it does not harm animals and has no “negative impact on their health, productivity or milk quality.”

Bovaer was authorized in the UK in April and has been approved for use in a number of countries, including EU countries, Australia and Canada.

The Food Standards Agency (FSA) has said that all authorized food additives, including Bovaer, have undergone a rigorous safety assessment, which is part of a wider process to ensure that products are safe and suitable for the UK market.

He added that his top priority was to protect consumer interests and maintain food and feed standards when reviewing any regulated product.

Arla’s trial aims to explore how methane-suppressing food additives could be rolled out to a wider group of farmers in the UK and is part of the company’s wider commitment to reduce the environmental impact of its dairy production.

Paul Dover, Arla Foods UK agricultural director, said: “We know that methane reduction is a big opportunity when it comes to improving our carbon footprint at farm level and that additives Foods like Bovaer have huge potential to help us solve this problem. »

Mr Dover said rolling out the additive on a large scale will “not be easy because of the cost involved”.

He added: “It is therefore important that we better understand their potential for use and then work with industry, government and our partners to support farmers if we are to exploit the opportunity they present to reduce emissions. »

National Farmers’ Union Dairy Board Chairman Paul Tompkins said: “While FSA-approved products could be useful tools to help reduce methane emissions, questions remain about their long-term effectiveness, their practical and effective use on the farm and their use on animals. health and well-being will not be affected.

He said government research shows buyers are generally positive about products as long as human and animal health are not affected.

“It is essential that we also have a strong evidence base to give farmers the confidence to use these products. This trial project between Arla, Morrisons, Aldi and Tesco could help provide this evidence,” he added.