On average we see a 30% reduction of methane emissions from dairy cattle, and 45% for beef feedlot cattle. For a typical dairy cow this translates into 1-ton CO2e saved per cow per year. To date we have enabled to avoid roughly 120.000 tons of CO2e equivalents already, and we are working hard to go into the millions of savings annually.
Vice President of Bovaer®
dsm-firmenich
Approximately 40 percent of livestock emissions consist of enteric methane. When it comes to methane, especially beef feedlot cattle and dairy cows stand out. Although it seems very difficult to control methane, which occurs as a result of a natural process in animals, there are now rapidly developing alternative solutions to this problem. Many studies have shown that changes in the diets of animals and some additional additives can reduce methane release. One of these important solutions is the methane-reducing feed additive called Bovaer® developed by dsm-firmenich.
We asked Mark van Nieuwland, Vice President of Bovaer® at dsm-firmenich, what we were curious about regarding the product, which is rapidly expanding around the world. Summarising the effectiveness of the product with the sentence “On average we see a 30% reduction of methane emissions from dairy cattle, and 45% for beef feedlot cattle,” Nieuwland explains the details for our readers.
Mr. Nieuwland, as dsm-firmenich, you offer a highly ambitious and innovative solution to reduce methane emissions in ruminants. Can you tell us the origin story of Bovaer®?
Nearly 15 years ago, we started a series of innovation projects around the topic of how to avoid climate change. Well ahead of this becoming a mainstream topic…
True breakthrough innovations take time! Maik Kinderman, our head of R&D and inventor of Bovaer®, quite early on succeeded in developing our highly effective methane reduction solution, which was subsequently tested and validated in partnership with research institutes around the globe. After the technology was scientifically proven other topics such as regulatory approvals, initial production and scale-up, practical application and recognition of methane reduction by farmers and traceability of CO2e reductions needed to be arranged. We were therefore very happy that in late 2021 the first markets (Brazil, Chile) approved Bovaer®, followed by the EU in the first half of 2022. Currently Bovaer® is available in 65 markets globally.
Can you talk about the effect of this methane-reducing feed additive? In simpler terms, how does Bovaer® reduce methane emissions?
When a cow consumes feed, it’s broken down in the rumen into energy sources, but also a portion is transferred into methane. This happens through a cascade of enzymatic steps in the rumen. Bovaer® temporarily inhibits the last step in that cascade and therefore less methane gets produced.
What is the amount of methane emission reduction achieved by using this additive in ruminants?
On average we see a 30% reduction of methane emissions from dairy cattle, and 45% for beef feedlot cattle. For a typical dairy cow this translates into 1-ton CO2e saved per cow per year.
Do you have a measurement of how many tons of CO2e (carbon dioxide equivalent) Bovaer® has helped to save until now?
To date we have enabled to avoid roughly 120.000 tons of CO2e equivalents already, and we are working hard to go into the millions of savings annually.
Can you tell us about the pilot studies you conducted to prove the effectiveness of Bovaer® and the results you obtained? What can you tell us about the methods and ease of application under real farming conditions?
Over 100 scientifically supervised trials have been completed globally, which have resulted in over 80 peer reviewed scientific publications (and many more to come), which have consistently demonstrated that Bovaer® reduces methane emissions quickly, effectively and consistently.
The initial launch form is a powder which can easily be blended into the mineral or vitamin mix, and therefore is particularly fit for TMR/PMR systems on the dairy side and feedlots on the beef side. It can also be used in other systems but the effect would be lower.
Additional form and application work is ongoing to develop and test new forms and applications to expand the range of farming systems and maximize the impact of Bovaer®. A recent example of this is the MLA-supported trial at the University of Queensland.
Does Bovaer® have a positive or negative impact on animal health, productivity and welfare?
At a high level, I would say no. We do see an improvement in the propionate to acetate level, which of course is good for the energy balance of the cow. We have seen a number of studies where animal performance went up, but this is not consistent and/or significant. Milk tests, tasting panels, beef quality scoring etc. have not shown any differences, which is important.
Is Bovaer® a product that farmers can easily access and use? In particular, can we say that it is economically sustainable?
Bovaer® is mixed into the various feed and feed supplement sources already arriving at the farm, so there is no additional handling. In many cases, the additional actions required by the farmer are therefore limited to ordering, keeping track of an invoice, and reporting the use of Bovaer®. So that they can be recognized for the positive climate impact they make.
Economically, Bovaer® costs about 1 cent per liter of milk (to reduce the footprint of that same liter of milk, instantly, by ~15%). For a farmer this is a significant cost, for a liter of milk you and I buy this is minimal and well within the regular fluctuations of the milk price. It’s therefore important that the value chain downstream from the farm covers the costs of products like Bovaer®.
Bovaer®‘s use around the world is expanding every day. It has received the necessary approvals from regulatory bodies in Europe and America. As far as we know, you have intensive collaborations with large integrated organizations and cooperations such as Fonterra, Friesland Campina, Arla Foods and Bel Group in different regions of the world. Can you tell us about the prevalence and use of Bovaer® worldwide?
We indeed have a large number of global partnerships, and we are happy that there are frontrunners who genuinely want to lower the footprint of milk/meat and who collaborate with us in a hands-on approach from pilot to scale. Whereas the methane savings have been extensively demonstrated, it’s particularly the business model on how do we capture and record the methane savings and how do we financially incentivize the farmers is still in its infancy, and which requires significant work.
What we see in the EU is that we in many cases have completed the pilot phase, and are now moving to the scaling phase. For the US we expect an accelerated scale up due to the market structure, size and feeding systems of the farms, the US government grants available and the tooling and carbon inset business model put in place by our strategic partner Elanco Animal Health.
To date, Bovaer® has enabled the reduction of ~120.000 tons CO2e, and we expect this to scale rapidly.
Could you tell us a little bit about production? What is the current production amount? As far as we know, you have a production facility under construction in Scotland. What will be the production amount you will reach when this facility becomes operational?
We currently produce out of a multi-purpose plant in Germany. Which is great for initial launch volumes. In parallel we are working on a dedicated production plant for Bovaer® in Scotland, which can initially produce for 4-6 million cows. Start-up of this facility will be in the course of 2025.
About Mark van Nieuwland
Mark van Nieuwland has been leading the Bovaer project and business at dsm-firmenich since 2016. Before joining DSM, van Nieuwland worked at McKinsey & Company from 2007 to 2015, holding various positions including Associate Principal. His career also includes roles at Lloydspharma and Celesio AG.
Mark van Nieuwland holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Marketing and International Business and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Advertising and Public Relations from Penn State University. He also earned a Master’s degree in Business Administration with a focus on Strategic Management from Erasmus University Rotterdam and participated in an Executive Leadership Program at The Wharton School.
In his current role, Mark van Nieuwland is leading efforts to reduce methane emissions in agriculture through innovative feed additives like Bovaer, contributing to global sustainability goal.
