What Can We Expect from Elanco's New Bovaer®?
The first-of-its-kind, methane-reducing feed additive for cattle passed muster with U.S. regulators in May 2024 when the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced a satisfactory review of the feed additive Bovaer®.
Originally developed and marketed by Netherlands-based dsm-firmenich, Bovaer is being licensed for marketing in the United States, Canada, and Mexico by Elanco Animal Health, Incorporated.
Bovaer is a powdered feed supplement that blocks an enzyme involved in methane formation reducing the amount of methane emitted by each animal. Its active ingredient is 3-nitrooxypropanol, or “3-NOP.” Elanco officials said feeding 1 million cows Bovaer would reduce methane emissions equivalent to removing more than 285,000 cars from the road for a year.
The first countries to approve Bovaer were Brazil and Chile in 2021. The European Union authorized use of the product in dairy cattle the following year. It is now legal for use in more than 55 countries worldwide, including Canada, which approved it in early 2024.
So, when Bovaer becomes commercially available to U.S. dairy farmers, what can producers expect from the product, based on research and commercial use that has already occurred around the world? Among the findings and currently available information are:
Performance – The founding company promotes methane reductions from a daily dose of Bovaer of 30% in dairy cows and 45% in beef cattle. Numerous internal and independent studies have confirmed those figures or higher. Two trials at the Universita Cattlolica in Italy showed reductions in methane emissions of 44-50% when Bovaer was fed daily to lactating dairy cows at a dose of ¼ teaspoon per cow per day.
Some studies have even noted methane reductions up to 80%. But a study by Irish agricultural research organization TEAGASC noted it is more difficult to achieve consistent results in grazing cattle. Their work showed a 30% methane reduction for 2.5 hours after feeding, but an overall reduction of only 7% based on twice-a-day supplementation.
A Dutch study involving 150 dairy farms and more than 20,000 cows showed Bovaer has more effect on methane reduction with a higher dosage and more corn in the ration.
Side effects – Dairy studies have shown that Bovaer has no significant impact on milk production, milk composition, feed intake, milk quality, or animal health. It also has shown no effect on rumen microbes, and is broken down in the digestive system into compounds that are already present in the digestive tract, leading to no change in manure composition.
One Australian study of nearly 8,000 beef feedlot steers did show a 2.1% decrease in dry-matter intake and a 9.3-lb. decrease in hot carcass weight in the latter half of the feeding period. But the researchers noted that wet spring weather conditions may have contributed to those changes.
Safety – A scientific opinion issued by the European Food Safety Authority concluded that Bovaer was safe for dairy cows at the maximum recommended level. Further, their review determined that the use of Bovaer in animal nutrition under the conditions proposed was of no concern for consumer food safety or the environment. The document did state that the active ingredient in Bovaer may be harmful if inhaled, and is irritant (but not corrosive) to the skin and eyes.
Ease of use – Most trials evaluated the additive in a powdered form. It was often delivered as a part of a pre-blended vitamin/trace mineral formulation that can then be added to a TMR. This requires no additional on-farm steps, and helps to ensure that every animal receives a consistent dose.
In the Australian beef study, Bovaer was administered via a cereal-based pellet. The study results indicated a lack of stability in the pellet form, with active losses of 12% with pelleting and 7.3% during storage.
Dosage – Elanco Animal Health indicates the recommended dose in the U.S. will be 1 tablespoon per lactating dairy cow per day. Previous studies have evaluated the product at a dose as low as a quarter teaspoon per cow per day.
Cost – In a 2022 interview with feed industry news source All About Feed, dsm-firmenich Senior Marketing Director Julien Martin said the cost at that time was roughly 1 cent per liter of milk, or about $93-105 in U.S. dollars per cow annually. Martin said the construction of a new manufacturing plant in Scotland, slated for completion in 2025, would help bring the cost down to approximately $58-64 per cow per year. The Irish study estimated the cost at about $70 per cow per year. Elanco stated the cost would be “a few cents a gallon of milk.”
Pay-off – In a 2023 interview, Mark van Nieuwland, vice president of Bovaer with dsm-firmenich, said farmers are understandably interested in the financial feasibility an incentives for using Bovaer. “If it’s a cost-neutral operation and there’s no negative performance impact, many farmers are much more willing to make a change,” he stated van Nieuwland also noted that taking measures to reduce climate change is a “license to operate in some geographies.”
Elanco estimates the use of Bovaer could return $20 or more per lactating dairy cow in the U.S. This would be the result of potential income from voluntary carbon markets; federal and state conservation program funds; and/or dairy processor incentives.
“Our goal is to make this opportunity a reality starting this summer, while creating a self sustaining carbon inset market for American agriculture,” declared Katie Cook, Vice President, Livestock Sustainability and Farm Animal Marketing at Elanco.
Elanco is expected to begin marketing Bovaer for lactating dairy cattle in the United States in the third quarter of 2024.
Full article: Dairy Herd
