Shoppers threaten boycott over Arla’s methane-reducing feed trial

An environmental initiative by Arla Foods, which has a major production site in Westbury, has sparked controversy, with shoppers threatening to boycott the company’s products over its latest trial.

Arla, the UK’s largest dairy cooperative, announced last month that it would trial adding the methane-suppressing supplement Bovaer® to cow feed on 30 British farms. The trial aims to reduce methane emissions—a significant greenhouse gas produced during cow digestion—as part of the company’s commitment to tackling climate change.

However, despite the trial’s environmental focus, shoppers have threatened to boycott Arla products that are part of the trial, which are being stocked in several major supermarkets, including Aldi, Morrisons and Tesco.

Videos have surfaced on social media showing people pouring Arla milk down sinks in protest, while others have been circulating lists of Arla products—including Lurpak and Anchor butters—in a bid to encourage similar actions.

In response, Arla issued a statement to counter what it described as “misinformation” spreading online.

“Last week, we announced that we would be running a trial of a cow feed supplement called Bovaer®, a product that has been researched for over 15 years and is already used in many countries around the world,” Arla said. “Bovaer® has the potential to reduce methane emissions from cows and is part of our efforts to reduce the carbon footprint of our products.

“Unfortunately, since we made this announcement, a significant amount of misinformation has been circulating online, and we feel compelled to address this by clearly and openly stating the facts.

“Our commitment to reducing our climate impact is unwavering, but we would never do so in a way that jeopardises the health of our consumers or the welfare of our animals.”

The company emphasised that the supplement does not pass into milk consumed by humans and has been approved by regulatory bodies such as the UK Food Standards Agency and the European Food Safety Authority. Arla assured consumers that Bovaer® has undergone extensive testing to ensure it is safe for both cows and humans.

Manufactured by DSM Firmenich, Bovaer® is a feed additive that breaks down methane in the cow’s digestive system, reducing emissions by up to 30%.

Arla said the compound decomposes into naturally occurring substances and does not enter the milk. It says the product has been approved for use in 68 countries and has been tested extensively on over 200,000 cows. It received UK regulatory approval in December 2023.

Arla’s statement concluded, “Alongside the 2,000 farmers across the UK who own Arla, we work hard to produce healthy and quality food every day. We are committed to reducing our environmental impact while maintaining the highest standards of safety and welfare.”