Dutch dairy industry moves towards sustainability with successful incorporation of Bovaer® into the regular farming activities of 158 dairy farms in the Netherlands
Dutch dairy company Royal FrieslandCampina, DSM, and feed supplier Agrifirm have successfully incorporated Bovaer® into the regular farming activities of 158 dairy farms in the Netherlands in the world’s first large-scale on-farm use of the methane-reducing feed additive for cattle.
The six month program, which started in 2022, confirmed that Bovaer® can easily be introduced at scale without affecting animal health, milk production or milk composition. This work supports the quicker adoption of Bovaer® by the dairy sector, reducing greenhouse gas emissions and helping the Netherlands to reach its climate targets.
In 2022, history was made by launching an extensive project to gain practical experience with Bovaer®, involving more than 20,000 cows and 158 farms. The successful collaboration between the member dairy farmers of FrieslandCampina, DSM and Agrifirm led to a decrease of 10,000 tons of CO2e in methane emissions (an average of 28% less enteric methane emissions).
The project’s success also opens the door for Bovaer® to be more easily implemented across the entire Dutch dairy herd. This move towards sustainability in the Dutch dairy industry stands to benefit consumers and farmers alike. Starting this year, farmers that are using Bovaer® in their feed can be recognized for its use through the KringloopWijzer (Annual Nutrient Cycling Assessment), the carbon footprint tool of the Dutch Dairy Sector (ZuivelNL).
The successful collaboration between Bovaer® and the member dairy farmers of FrieslandCampina has opened the door for Bovaer® to be implemented across the entire Dutch dairy herd. This move towards sustainability in the Dutch dairy industry will benefit farmers and consumers alike.
Together with its member dairy farmers, FrieslandCampina aims to achieve a 33% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions on its member dairy farms by 2030 (vs. 2015). It is therefore working on various solutions to achieve this, such as using guaranteed deforestation-free soy in cattle feed, digestion of manure, generating sustainable energy on farms and reducing cow methane emissions using Bovaer®.
