Site icon THE DEMOCRAT

CATTLE FEED: ANTI-FARTING PRODUCT APPROVED BY SCOTTISH PARLIAMENT

heaneymedia

Bovaer plays an important role in helping us to reduce emissions from livestock production

By Democrat reporter

Cattle farting is not the problem it was in the past since farmers started giving the methane-reducing feed additive Bovaer to their cattle.

Scottish Minister for Agriculture and Connectivity Jim Fairlie  explained: “Bovaer is a methane-suppressing feed product that has undergone a safety assessment by the Food Standards Agency and Food Standards Scotland as a feed additive for all ruminants involved in milk production and reproduction.

“It was authorised for use in Scotland in December 2023. Parallel regulations authorise Bovaer across Great Britain. That approval means that farmers in Scotland can use the additive if they choose to do so.”

Kenneth Gibson MSP wants that message made clear.

He said: “As the minister is aware, Bovaer is manufactured at DSM-Firmenich’s plant, near my Dalry constituency office. Despite more than 58 studies on the product and its having been evaluated as being completely safe to use, Bovaer has been the focus of significant online misinformation. Studies also show no safety concerns for workers who handle the additive.

“Does the minister agree that science, not social media, should govern our approach to food safety and that Bovaer, which is now routinely used across Europe, Australia and North America, has an important role to play in combating climate change?”

Jim Fairlie said he agreed “with that understanding of our climate change” — “Kenneth Gibson makes an important point. Social media has been great for many things but, occasionally, it throws up misinformation that overtakes the reality of the conversations and reasoned discussions that we need to have about the measures that we will take to tackle the challenges that we face.
“Research suggests that the appropriate use of methane-suppressing feed products—or MSFPs—such as Bovaer in livestock diets more generally plays an important role in helping us to reduce emissions from livestock production.”
Pictures are of cattle on farms in Glen Fruin and at the Drymen Show.
Exit mobile version