British dairy processor Arla has said that the reaction to the methane-reducing feed additive Bovaer on social media in early December has not impacted its sales of milk and dairy products.

“Overall, our data is showing that sales are in line with our forecast,” an Arla spokesperson told the Irish Farmers Journal.

“We will continue to monitor this, but currently, we’re not seeing any significant impact,” they added.

Arla’s decision to trial the additive sparked some debate on social media, with false claims made around its safety for use in dairy cow diets.

Arla said that the claims made online at the time were completely false.

In addition, Teagasc said it has total confidence in Bovaer and that it has no concerns about any effect on meat or milk from animals fed Bovaer.

The Department of Agriculture also stated that the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) concluded that Bovaer was safe for dairy cows at the maximum recommended level, and that its use in animal nutrition, under the conditions of use proposed, was of no concern for consumer safety or for the environment.

Arla has announced that it will trial the feed additive on 30 supplier farms in the UK as part of an emissions-reduction initiative with retailers Morrisons, Aldi and Tesco.