Introduction to Bovaer
Bovaer is an additive some farmers are beginning to feed cows and maybe other animals. It is being pushed by governments as a way to reduce methane being created when cows digest. Sounds great if you are worried about global warming and you think cows are an important source of greenhouse gases. But what is Bovaer and is it safe?
It consists of 10% 3-Nitrooxypropanol, 35% propylene glycol and 54% silicic acid. It does not sound like something cows or other animals might naturally find in their habitat. Glycol is something I associate with the antifreeze I put in my air-source heat pumps. I was therefore looking at what the science behind the claim that "it has no impact on consumers" by regulatory authorities actually says. The EFSA article referenced by regulators does actually not say it is safe!
The Panel's Conclusion
The Panel concluded that the additive has a potential to be efficacious in dairy cows to reduce enteric methane production under the proposed conditions of use. So efficacious - not safe for consumers, efficacious. I wondered if that might be a synonym for safe and healthy. But efficacious essentially means efficient and effective.
Study Designs
The article references multiple studies; however, none involve participant numbers approaching 10,000 like one would expect for something like this. For instance, one pivotal tolerance study involved 80 dairy cows divided into four groups of 20 each, receiving different doses of 3-NOP over 56 days. Another set of studies was conducted simultaneously in three locations—Wageningen (The Netherlands), Reading (UK), and Pennsylvania (USA)—using Holstein Friesian dairy cows at different lactation stages. While the exact number of cows in these studies isn't specified in the provided excerpts, it's clear that the sample sizes are relatively modest, likely in the dozens rather than thousands.
Study Designs
The studies mentioned in the article appear to be controlled experiments, with cows allocated to either treatment or control groups. For example, in the long-term studies, cows were blocked into pairs based on parity, days in milk, and milk production, then assigned to either a control group or a 3-NOP treatment group. This design suggests a randomized controlled trial (RCT) methodology, which is a robust approach for assessing causality.
Long-Term Impact Assessment
The article includes studies that evaluated the effects of 3-NOP on enteric methane output over several months. Specifically, three studies were conducted from June to November 2018, each lasting approximately five months. While these studies provide valuable insights into the medium-term effects of 3-NOP supplementation, they do not encompass the 30-40 year timespan necessary to fully understand the long-term impacts of drinking milk from cows treated with this additive. Therefore, conclusions about the additive’s effects over multiple decades cannot be drawn from the current data.
In summary, while the studies referenced in the EFSA article are well-structured and provide important information on the safety and efficacy of Bovaer™ 10 in the short term, they do not feature large sample sizes (i.e., 10,000 participants or more) nor do they assess the long-term impacts (over 30-40 years) of consuming milk from cows treated with the additive.
Looking into this has made me concerned about Bovaer. A cursory check of the data and studies referenced does not provide comfort. I am sure others will add further insight and analysis. In the meantime, I will avoid meat and milk products which are not explicitly Bovaer free.