Should we stop cows farting? NOP-3 Bovaer

[Pistom]

I know there are a few farmers who contribute here so I thought I would ask about this here.

Speaking to one of my local dairy farmers, they were telling me that there's a drive to alter feedstock to reduce methane emissions using an additive commonly known as NOP-3 or commercially as Bovaer but that they're not convinced of the need to reduce emissions but more importantly feel that the drive to use it has been railroaded through without sufficient studies in the safety of the additive.

I imagine there will be some on here who know more about this subject than I can gain from Google which seems to suggest it's fine and safe but that's coming from a very small number of studies.

I was wondering if any here have better informed opinion than I can gain.

My local dairy farm is saying they won't be using it.

[Simpo Two]

Ask the people who railroaded it through to take it, and then they can stop farting too.

[Silvanus]

What we need to do is consume less dairy and beef.

[grumbledoak]

The methane from cows is from burping, not farting, and it is not an issue for Climate Change because it is already in a cycle, quite a short one. This is just another BS "solution" to a non problem that they want us to pay for.

It is pretty toxic in it's own right, at least for the farmer. Gloves and masks at least. Obviously just the sort of stuff we want in the milk supply.

[Thevet]

Silvanus said:

What we need to do is consume less dairy and beef.

or turn the heating down and tv off when you're not in the room! Bear in mind that ruminant farming has kept much of the agricultural environment green for centuries, and fed much of humanity (in fact, there's a much better solution, stop humans breeding so much esp from the morons that lead us)
Termites make much more waste gas than cows, so how about looking there? Or do you want ruminant farmland to be developed to house more destructive humans?

[Silvanus]

Thevet said:

Silvanus said:

What we need to do is consume less dairy and beef.

or turn the heating down and tv off when you're not in the room! Bear in mind that ruminant farming has kept much of the agricultural environment green for centuries, and fed much of humanity (in fact, there's a much better solution, stop humans breeding so much esp from the morons that lead us)
Termites make much more waste gas than cows, so how about looking there? Or do you want ruminant farmland to be developed to house more destructive humans?

Eating less cows doesn't immediately mean the field will be developed, there are other things pasture could become. You do know you can do more than one thing, we could have less cows and use less power.

I'm certainly in favour of a reduced population, so we can agree on that.

[jimwilli]

I've specifically been out to a local farm today and bought all our milk from there before the supermarket run. 5x2L at £2.60 ea. It's Jersey pasteurised although there is another place local which sells raw.

Call me a conspiracy wacko but I've already eliminated 90% of UPF so didn't want any rubbish putting in my milk.

[sunbeam alpine]

We looked at this last year. The dairy we supply was looking for 80-100 farms to trial the product - and they would be paying the cost of having it added to the ration - either in concentrate feed or as a premix.

Both our nutritional advisor and vet were opposed to its use. I don't remember any mention of carcinogens, their argument was that the methane production is a by-product of healthy rumen activity. This product basically suppresses certain rumen bacteria which - while reducing methane production - makes the rumen work less efficiently, ultimately leading to lower production per cow.

We decided not to go ahead with the trial.

[Thevet]

Silvanus said:

Eating less cows doesn't immediately mean the field will be developed, there are other things pasture could become. You do know you can do more than one thing, we could have less cows and use less power.

I'm certainly in favour of a reduced population, so we can agree on that.

So what will happen to the green bits? Just like the island nations, such change will alter generations that have never hurt the planet compared to fossil fuels. And remember how little ruminants matter compared to what we burn.
So, forestry? Poultry? Sheep ruminate as much as cows. Maybe a track for cars? Or perhaps it should be beans? This has a side effect too.
Depopulation always a better idea

[Desiderata]

I'd looked at signing the Change.org petition against this but then decided instead to buy my milk from other suppliers instead.
If enough people do this, I'm sure loosing a big chunk of sales will have a far quicker effect than any petition.

[Douglas Quaid]

Yeah I’m not going to buy milk or meat that contains this stuff. It’s a shame as we do shop at Tesco but we can change easily enough.

[Saleen836]

Usefulkl reading...
https://www.standard.co.uk/news/environment/arla-f...

I buy Arla Cravendale but now looks like I will be visiting the local milk station and buying my milk from there

[Smint]

I'd heard about this elsewhere, not playing.

Anyone know which supermarkets are not selling milk contaminated with this muck?
Haven't a clue how to go about finding a dairy farm who will sell directly, suggestions?

edit, just read the Standard article, it appears Morrisons Tesco and Aldi are taking part (anyone know if its just them), so Sainsburys Lidl or Asda it will be, though i'm going to be looking to go direct to farm, which we should have been long ago still better late than never.

Edited by Smint on Saturday 30th November 16:42

Edited by Smint on Saturday 30th November 16:43

[grumbledoak]

Smint said:

I'd heard about this elsewhere, not playing.

Anyone know which supermarkets are not selling milk contaminated with this muck?
Haven't a clue how to go about finding a dairy farm who will sell directly, suggestions?

edit, just read the Standard article, it appears Morrisons Tesco and Aldi are taking part (anyone know if its just them), so Sainsburys Lidl or Asda it will be, though i'm going to be looking to go direct to farm, which we should have been long ago still better late than never.

Farmers weekly have a map of where to buy milk straight from the farm here -
https://www.fwi.co.uk/business/map-buy-milk-direct...

[Saleen836]

Smint said:

I'd heard about this elsewhere, not playing.

Anyone know which supermarkets are not selling milk contaminated with this muck?
Haven't a clue how to go about finding a dairy farm who will sell directly, suggestions?

edit, just read the Standard article, it appears Morrisons Tesco and Aldi are taking part (anyone know if its just them), so Sainsburys Lidl or Asda it will be, though i'm going to be looking to go direct to farm, which we should have been long ago still better late than never.

Edited by Smint on Saturday 30th November 16:42

Edited by Smint on Saturday 30th November 16:43

Google for your local 'milk station' this is milk direct from the farm dispensed by machines in various locations

[Smint]

grumbledoak said:

Farmers weekly have a map of where to buy milk straight from the farm here -
https://www.fwi.co.uk/business/map-buy-milk-direct...

Much obliged to my learned friend.

There's one i can pop in on the way home from work, only slightly out of my normal route.
Many thanks.

Edited by Smint on Saturday 30th November 16:53

[Terminator X]

Silvanus said:

What we need to do is consume less dairy and beef.

A lot if not all of the worlds current "problems" is population increase 4bn to 8bn in a 50 year period. Not enough people though says Elon Musk.

TX.

[ATG]

Silvanus said:

Thevet said:

Silvanus said:

What we need to do is consume less dairy and beef.

or turn the heating down and tv off when you're not in the room! Bear in mind that ruminant farming has kept much of the agricultural environment green for centuries, and fed much of humanity (in fact, there's a much better solution, stop humans breeding so much esp from the morons that lead us)
Termites make much more waste gas than cows, so how about looking there? Or do you want ruminant farmland to be developed to house more destructive humans?

Eating less cows doesn't immediately mean the field will be developed, there are other things pasture could become. You do know you can do more than one thing, we could have less cows and use less power.

I'm certainly in favour of a reduced population, so we can agree on that.

Also you could just put far fewer animals on the pasture so that the animals were actually feeding on the grass the pasture produced rather than being fed by crops and supplements produced elsewhere. That would actually be a return to traditional ruminant husbandry, if tradition is important to you.

[Terminator X]

Douglas Quaid said:

Yeah I’m not going to buy milk or meat that contains this stuff. It’s a shame as we do shop at Tesco but we can change easily enough.

How would you know? I doubt it will be labeled. I'd rather not buy GM anything, for example, but again it's not labeled.

TX.

[Desiderata]

Smint said:

Anyone know which supermarkets are not selling milk contaminated with this muck?

As has been said, only Morrisons, Tesco, and Aldi are directly involved in the trial, but Arla products are pretty hard to avoid in general, multiple dairy products and brands are produced by them from Lurpak butter to Castello cheese.
Although I've always felt that organic produce is a bit of a con, this stuff can't be used for anything labelled as organic so I'm going down that route at least for the short term.