Danish MP Demands Ban on 'Climate Feed' After Cows Fall Sick
Two-thirds of surveyed Danish dairy herds reported sick cattle, drop-offs in appetite, or lower milk yields after being forced to use the methane-blocking additive Bovaer. In Scotland, where it is voluntary, only 6 of 6,416 farms use it.
Danish Member of Parliament Cecilie Liv Hansen is demanding an immediate freeze on Denmark's mandatory climate feed rule for dairy cows. After farmers across the country reported sick cattle, drop-offs in appetite, and falling milk yields linked to the methane-suppressing chemical Bovaer, Hansen says the state has no business using livestock as climate guinea pigs.
Since 2025, Denmark has forced larger conventional dairy farms to dose their cattle with methane-reducing feed additives, making Bovaer (active ingredient 3-nitrooxypropanol, or 3-NOP) a centerpiece of Danish agricultural climate policy.
In a formal proposal to the Danish Parliament and op-eds in Jyllands-Posten and LandbrugsAvisen, Hansen, who sits on Parliament's Environment and Food Committee, says animal health has to come before emissions targets.
"I refuse to sacrifice the welfare of cows for climate goals," Hansen wrote.
Two-Thirds of Danish Farms Report Problems
Hansen points to an Aarhus University study in which roughly two-thirds of participating dairy farms reported negative effects after introducing Bovaer, including reduced feed intake, lower milk output, and sick animals.
The European Commission has asked the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) for a fresh safety review due by November 30, 2026, while further Danish veterinary studies will not be finished until 2027. Hansen wants the mandate suspended until independent science clears the additive.
When questioned by Hansen, Social Democratic Animal Welfare Minister Christian Rabjerg Madsen argued that individual farmers are personally responsible for pulling a cow off Bovaer if it falls ill and signing a formal declaration. Hansen called that absurd: the government cannot force farmers to use a chemical by law and then blame the farmer when cows collapse.
Only 6 Out of 6,416 Scottish Farms Use Bovaer Voluntarily
While Denmark made methane additives compulsory, new agricultural census data from Scotland shows what happens when farmers are given a choice. Out of 6,416 Scottish farms surveyed, just six reported using Bovaer, roughly 0.1 percent.
In Sweden, dairy farmers have voiced similar resistance. Claes Jonsson, chairman of Sweden's Dairy Farmers (Sveriges Mjölkbönder), previously called Bovaer a climate scam and warned that farmers are being pressured into dosing healthy animals for political PR.
Simon Kristoffersson · Responsible Publisher & Senior Editor (Ansvarig utgivare)
Simon Kristoffersson is the Legally Responsible Publisher (Ansvarig utgivare) and Senior Investigative Editor of Samnytt and Samnytt News under Sweden's Constitutional Freedom of the Press Act, specializing in courts, organized crime, municipal governance, and public-sector investigations.
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