This has been a hot topic since last year. I will first start by explaining what Bovaer is, the possible harm it can cause and at the end of this post I will give a list of companies that have stated that they don’t use 3-NOP (Bovaer).
What is Bovaer?
A synthetic organic compound with its technical term 3-Nitrooxypropanol which is abbreviated as 3-NOP or 3NOP. In case you’re wondering (an organic compound is a chemical compound that contains carbon atoms which are attached to hydrogen atoms). Bovaer specifically targets microbes living in the digestive system of cows and sheep. Put simply, bovaer is a methane inhibitor.
What happens to methane?
Cows do indeed produce methane but this methane is naturally recycled, thus, using man made synthetic additives is unnecessary and possibly dangerous. It takes 10 years for methane to break down into carbon dioxide (CO2) and water (H20). Plants reabsorb the carbon through photosynthesis, then animals eat these plants, it’s reabsorbed into the soil via livestock urine and manure. As you can tell by this process new methane isn’t produced because it’s the same methane that’s recycled through the soil, plants, livestock and the atmosphere. Why not let the natural process work smoothly without human interruption?
The problem with bovaer is that it’s synthetic, it’s not a natural product, which means that it can cause harm to humans. Taking into consideration that farm workers need to wear protective clothing when handling 3-NOP. According to the Food Standards Agency Bovaer is “corrosive to the eyes, a skin irritant, and potentially harmful if inhaled.”
How does this make you feel, are you okay with drinking milk from cows that have been fed this synthetic additive?
Thankfully there is hope so read below to find out which farms care about what their consumers want.
Bovaer free products
Bovaer is not exclusive to milk but could also be found in butter, cheese and beef. Thankfully the Soil Association has stated on their website that all organic products are bovaer free so buying organic dairy and beef should hopefully be keeping you safe. However, if you can’t afford organic food, don’t despair, their some non-organic brands that state to be 3-NOP free! Check out the list below;
1. Edward Dairies
2. Wyke Farms
3. Tom Parker
4. Freshways
5. Mills Milk
I hope that you found this blog post helpful, please find all the references below. It’s also a good idea to email the companies and ask them if they are using 3-NOP (Bovaer) just in case they changed their minds. It’s also worth mentioning that my daughter helped me with this research because she is passionate about healthy milk (she loves dairy).
Disclaimer: My personal opinion is that Bovaer isn’t safe for human consumption, there are a lot of bad ingredients in everyday products, thus, lessening synthetic ingredients that may be harmful seems a good idea in my books.
References
Bovaer Free Products – Edwards Dairies Chirk
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S092913932200381X?via%3Dihub
https://food.blog.gov.uk/2024/12/05/bovaer-cow-feed-additive-explained
https://tomparkercreamery.com/journal/
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=879423387688522&id=100068626072109&set=a.565119222452275
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