Bovaer Trials Halted After Farmers Expose Sick and Dying Herds
- Editor Darren Birks
- 1 hour ago
- 3 min read
Trials of Bovaer have been brought to an end amid reports that Herds became sick and died within weeks of consuming the animal feed.
The animal feed additive, claimed to be both 'effective' and 'safe', was touted to 'slash' dairy cows' methane emissions (cow burps and farts) by up to 30%.
However, major trials of Bovaer have now been curtailed with rumours of some cows developing giant cysts in their stomachs whilst others suddenly dropping dead in the middle of the farmer's field.
Food giant Arla, Europe’s largest dairy cooperative, announced the end of its UK pilot on 30 farms, citing the need for what it called a "thorough review" amid mounting safety alarms from across the North Sea.
Almost from day one farmers in Denmark were reporting cattle collapsing, plummeting milk yields, and dead cows in their fields.
Bovaer, chemically known as 3-nitrooxypropanol (3-NOP) is claimed to work by inhibiting a stomach enzyme that produces methane during digestion. Since October 1, 2025,
Denmark has compelled farms with over 50 cows to dose their herds for at least 80 days annually, with fines for non-compliance and plans to expand to 40% of all cows year-round by 2026.
The macGuffin: to 'curb the livestock sector’s outsized role in global warming, as cows belch and fart about 220 pounds of methane each per year. '
Danish dairy farmers, long skeptical of top-down edicts, are revolting. Anders Ring, a veteran herdsman from West Jutland, pulled the plug on Bovaer after just weeks.
“In my opinion, Bovaer is a poison,” he told reporters. His herd suffered fevers spiking to 41.5°C, severe diarrhea, fertility crashes, and an “explosion” in digital dermatitis—a painful hoof infection.
Milk production tanked by up to 5 kg per cow daily, with bacterial counts soaring and somatic cell levels—indicators of udder inflammation—jumping 20%. “We had to stop feeding Bovaer as the cows and our milk production was suffering,” Ring said. Within days of halting, health metrics rebounded dramatically.
Ring’s ordeal echoes a chorus of despair rippling through Denmark’s 1,400 Bovaer-using farms. Social media is awash with whistleblowers: One farmer documented six cows dead in a single month, all prime milkers euthanised after sudden collapses and cramps.
Another, in a viral video, described his first loss: “On Friday we had the first cow down, on Saturday—two more.” “This stuff is getting into people’s milk and meat,” warned Kent Nielsen, a citizen journalist amplifying these pleas. Reports flood X (formerly Twitter): sluggish herds refusing feed, chronic mastitis, and emergency vet calls tripling. One herder tallied €10,000–15,000 in losses per deceased animal, factoring in future calves and output.
These aren’t isolated incidents either. The Danish Agriculture & Food Council launched an urgent online survey, while the Veterinary and Food Administration is probing cases with biological sampling from afflicted herds. Aarhus University, tasked with a scientific deep-dive, admits surprise: 15 years of trials showed no red flags.
Yet farmers like Hubert, another Jutland operator, seethe: “We’re not against progress, but we can’t be the guinea pigs. Our cows don’t look or act like they should—they’re suffering, and we’re powerless.”
Bovier’s maker, DSM-Firmenich, pushed back in a statement claiming. “We are deeply committed to safeguarding livestock health,” pointing to approval in 70 countries and three years of 'safe use' by thousands. In prior studies, Bovaer wasn’t fingered as a culprit with the UK’s Food Standards Agency echoes these claims, deeming milk from dosed cows safe after supposedly 'rigorous 2023 vetting'— they claim no residues pass into milk.
However, despite the marketing claims, the fake science, proposed as a solution for a problem that doesn't exist, there is still the problem of over a thousand dead cows to deal with.
Once again the slogan “Safe and effective” rings hollow when all the evidence says otherwise.
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