Consumers around the world are demanding lower-carbon foods, and animal agriculture is often at the forefront of conversations.
A new product soon-to-be-launched by Elanco has gotten the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s green light after a multi-year review. The product, called Bovaer (3-NOP), is a first-in-class methane-reducing feed agent that meets safety and efficacy requirements for use in lactating dairy cattle.
“FDA approval of Elanco’s Bovaer is another important step on U.S. dairy’s journey toward a net-zero future, one in which dairy farmers have already made great progress,” writes Gregg Doud, president and CEO of the National Milk Producers Federation. “Bovaer and other new technologies that reduce enteric emissions will help U.S. farmers be rewarded for participating in voluntary, producer-led sustainability initiatives, which is critical for the success of such efforts.
Elanco says that its new product will create value for farmers, while helping food companies meet consumer demands and deliver on their sustainability commitments.
Bovaer works by suppressing the enzyme in the cow’s rumen that forms methane. Feeding one tablespoon of Bovaer per lactating dairy cow per day can reduce methane emissions by about 30 percent or about 1.2 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e) emissions annually while creating an opportunity for dairy farmers to be financially rewarded for reducing their dairy’s carbon footprint.i Feeding one million cows, Bovaer would reduce emissions equivalent to removing more than 285,000 cars from the road for a year.
The product’s approval comes at a time when the United Nations has been pushing green options and the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions by 2030.
In response to this added pressure, about two-thirds of all Fortune 500 companies have set significant climate commitment goals. By mitigating methane, the livestock industry can reduce the rate of climate warming and allow food companies and retailers to make meaningful progress toward emissions goals.
“Reducing enteric methane is critical if we are to reach our climate goals,” said Dr. Frank Mitloehner, CLEAR Center Director and University California Davis professor and Cooperative Extension Air Quality Specialist. “It’s exciting our farmers will have an important tool to do that, in Bovaer.”
»Related: Perspective: Don’t blame cattle for climate change
