Is UK milk really being poisoned? Bovaer, is it harmful?

There is a conspiracy theory floating about in regards to our Milk. It’s being poisoned by Bill Gates! 

It would be easy to scoff and say “What is wrong with these crackpots” but with all conspiracy theories, there is often a smaller fire to explain the smoke. Things started with a pushback (Novemer this year) against a new animal feed designed to reduce the methane gas footprint produced by livestock: Bovaer. 

Our blog is about health and well-being, so we thought we’d take a deeper look at this and see what we can learn. Hopefully, this is a comprehensive analysis of all of the facts. 

What is Bovaer?

Bovaer is a cow feed that also contains an additive to suppress an enzyme which, during the digestion process, combines the hydrogen and carbon dioxide gasses to form methane. This is said to be a leading cause for climate change.  

“Just ¼ teaspoon in a cow’s daily feed takes effect in as little as 30 minutes. As it acts, Bovaer® is safely broken down into compounds already naturally present in the rumen.” [1].

Cows across Europe, the USA and Australia have been fed this additive for a number of years now, but twitter users have singled out the ARLA UK group as potentially putting consumers at risk by taking part in the Bovaer study. ARLA produce a range of milk and milk products, like SKYR. 

Why are people saying Bovaer causes fertility issues and cancer? 

The claims made online – primarily on TikTok and Twitter – are that the main active ingredient within the feed is toxic to humans. Upon a fair bit of research, it’s hard to understand where these claims come from precisely, but it can be assumed that it started with a slightly mis-informed social media post, which has evolved, and malformed, as it has gained traction.

But, what is the truth?

The active ingredient in Bovaer is 3‐nitrooxypropionic acid, which is what regulates the enzymes in the cow’s digestion. On its own, the compound has been found to be an irritant to the skin, and may be harmful if inhaled [2]. There are some studies that look to understand the potential harms of 3‐nitrooxypropionic acid for cows, however, more research is needed to conclude it’s potential long term side effects for other species, like humans. Other studies have found that the compound is not carcinogenic, and is largely safe for humans [3].

The FSA, the UK’s food safety regulator, has said that the compound has been extensively studied and tested in livestock, and is safe at even double the recommended daily dose.[4]. It’s also suggested that 3‐nitrooxypropionic acid is not detectable in the cows milk. 

Is Bovaer (3‐nitrooxypropionic acid) harmful and will drinking ARLA milk products cause you any harm? It’s very unlikely. It seems that the compound could be harmful to those who come into close contact with it (farm workers for example), but the potential of it contaminating the milk is negligible. 

What has Bill Gates got to do with Bovaer? 

It seems, not very much at all. 

In fact, the company made it clear that they have no funding from Bill Gates. He instead invested in a rival company called Rumin8 [5]. This may be where online users are connecting the two. Bill Gates is investing in this kind of work, but not the products being claimed online. 

It’s clear, by now, that Bill Gates (or jewish people) is behind most of the conspiracies online. 

Where do the conspiracy theories come from? 

It would be very easy to blame these ideas on Twitter/ and TikTok, but it is true that falling trust in government and authorities has lead to an atmosphere where people fall into the rumour mill online. 

Let’s be honest, COVID, and the way Western governments reacted have damaged trust. The FDA’s corporate corruption around opioids provides perfect fertilising conditions for doubt. Media is turning to a ‘click-bait’ revenue model which puts profit and clicks, over truth and news.  Time after time the institutions that are intended to provide us with the right information, are failing. How can we trust them to tell us our milk isn’t being poisoned? 

This coincides with “health alarm” on social media, where influencers claim ordinary food is killing us. Usually presented by an opaque-skinned, skinny, gaunt ghost of a human demanding we only eat minced meat and eggs. 

We could write all day about all the little dots that can explain why this conspiracy theory has caught wind, but the simple fact is, we are frying our brains on social media. 

We live in strange times. 

In Conclusion.

It seems clear that Bovaer should not be a cause for concern for the average person. There is some evidence that the compound may cause very minor health concerns for humans, however, more evidence is needed and the dose the average person will consume seems to be well, well below any threshold of being harmful. 

Consider it as dangerous as 4G.