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The French company Bel subsidizes the feed additive Bovaer, which reduces methane gas in cows by a third. The product is now also recognized as climate-friendly in Switzerland.
There are 80 mother cows living on Yoann Lézé’s farm in northwest France. Lézé is a farmer by conviction. However, he is aware that as a milk producer he leaves an ecological footprint and tries to reduce it wherever possible.
“We have been feeding the cows without genetically modified organisms since 2018 and let them graze at least 150 days per year,” says the farmer.
Last year, Lézé tested the chemical feed additive Bovaer, which reduced methane gas emissions from cows by a third. «The application is quite simple. You can mix the powder with the concentrated feed and distribute it to the animals.”
Scientifically proven effectiveness
Bovaer is not the first feed additive that promises to reduce methane gas in cows. But it is the first product that has a consistent scientific effect, says Frigga Dohme-Meier from the Competence Center for Agricultural Research Agroscope: “The studies have shown that a reduction in methane gas emissions of up to 30 percent can be achieved. This is very high compared to other feed additives.”
Each cow produces 70 to 120 kilograms of methane per year. It is produced during digestion in the cow’s first stomach and mostly enters the atmosphere through exhalation. The synthetically produced feed additive Bovaer inhibits the enzyme responsible for methane formation.
Subsidies from Bel
This made Simon Bonnet sit up and take notice. He is responsible for sustainable dairy farming at the Bel cheese dairy and had Bovaer tested in three farms in Slovakia in 2022. Five companies in France followed in 2023, including Yoann Lézé’s.
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The feed additive is fed to dairy cows and is intended to reduce emissions of the greenhouse gas methane.
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“We wanted to see whether the nutritional supplement could be delivered under real breeding conditions and whether it had no negative influence on the work of the breeders or on the behavior of the animals,” says Bonnet. The results are very positive.
The manufacturer of Babybel cheese has therefore decided to recommend and subsidize the feed additive to its 700 milk producers in France so that the farmers are not financially burdened.
Methane accounts for 50 percent of emissions on farms. That’s why it’s important to produce as climate-friendly as possible and to take this step to reduce methane, says the cheese manufacturer.
Feed additive less efficient for pasture cows
In Slovakia, one in three milk producers who work with Bel already use the feed additive. However, Bovaer is not suitable for all companies. In addition to organic farms, which are not allowed to administer the additive, this is more difficult to apply to cows on pasture, for example.
“The additive must be given to the animals every four to five hours during the day. This means we cannot use it effectively during the grazing season. “If the cows are in the stable, it’s not a problem,” says milk producer Yoann Lézé.
The feed additive Bovaer could soon also be used more widely in Switzerland. It has been recognized as climate-friendly since November 2023.