(FMW) BOVAER BACKLASH

Direct milk sellers have taken to social media to distance themselves from Arla Foods and its trial of the feed additive Bovaer on UK supplier farms after a consumer backlash to the study, including boycotts of products made by the dairy co-operative.

Arla announced last week that it would test Bovaer, a feed additive which suppresses a methane-producing enzyme, on more than 30 farms. What it hadn’t reckoned with was the public reaction to this trial, amid concern about any human health implications.

Even though the product is approved by the Food Standards Agency, shoppers have seemingly tried to avoid Arla dairy products in supermarkets.

See also: New Arla trial looks to cut methane emissions from dairy cows

As momentum has grown around the controversy, one of the most vocal groups has been farmers who sell milk direct to the public, who have been keen to set the record straight on what they feed their cows.

Some, such as Attleborough Hall Farm at Attleborough, Norfolk, have stressed that, despite being an Arla member, they are not taking part in the feed additive trial.

Others have “self-declared” on a new website, Bovaer Free Farms, that they don’t use the feed additive. More of this article (Farmers Weekly) - link - Arla boycott - link - more like this (efsa) - link - more like this (cows) - link - more like this (campaigners) - link

(EUN) WOLVES - A REBOUND PROBLEM

Wolves have made an impressive comeback in Europe in recent decades, but their presence has angered some farmers and led to a hostile backlash. This week, the European Commission will make a decision about whether to weaken the legal protection of the European grey wolf.

If it goes ahead, it would mean a step further towards legalising the routine culling or hunting of the animals. Farmers broadly back the proposal, as does President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen, whose own pony Dolly was killed by a wolf in 2022.

However, nature and conservation groups have denounced the lack of scientific evidence to support the proposal.

"The EU proposal to downgrade grey wolf protection across Europe has been based on a non-peer-reviewed single report, contracted out by the European Commission and lacks verified independent data," environmental association Green Impact said in a statement.

Hundreds of scientists and academics are currently signing two scientific statements on wolf conservation and the role of wolves in ecosystem recovery, the group said.

So why has the matter become so controversial and will humans ever be able to peacefully coexist with wolves in Europe?

Rebound of grey wolf in Europe raises concerns

Usually, the return of a famous creature once driven to the brink of extinction would be a universal cause for celebration - particularly when it comes about, in part, through a conservation campaign backed by EU policy.

But this has not been the case for the return of the wolf in Europe.

It has become a polarising topic across the continent. Conservationists hail their impact on the environment and the ecological benefits. Farmers, however, are worried for their livestock in areas that haven’t had wolves in them for decades. More of this article (Euro News Green) - link - more like this (campaigners) - link - more like this (conservation) - link