The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has launched a review into the use of 3-nitrooxypropanol (3-NOP), which is sold as Bovaer, in dairy cows.
The European Commission has asked the EFSA to provide a scientific opinion on the safety of the methane reducing feed ingredient.
This request follows reports by Danish authorities of clinical signs of digestive and metabolic disorders in dairy cows in approximately a quarter of the 1,600 dairy farms which started using the additive since December 2025.
Denmark
Since January 1, 2025, all conventional dairy farmers in Denmark with more than 50 cows are required to reduce methane emissions by adjusting their feed.
In order to achieve this, a farmer must either increase the fat content in their cows’ diet throughout the year or add Bovaer to the feed for 80 days a year.
The move is part of the Danish government’s plan to reduce the environmental impact from agriculture.
Around 1,400 herds, out of Denmark’s total of about 2,000, are believed to have started administering Bovaer around October 1.
EFSA
The ESFA said the objective of the scientific opinion is to assess whether Bovaer still meets the conditions set out in European regulations as regards the safety for the target species (dairy cows and cows for reproduction).
In order to “ensure a comprehensive assessment”, the authority has launched a public call for “all potentially relevant available data”, including published, unpublished or newly generated data, on Bovaer from interested parties.
This includes food business operators, national food authorities, research institutions, academia and other stakeholders in any juristriction.
Among the information being sought by the authority is data related to the health status and performance of dairy cows and breeding cows on farms using the feed additive.
The deadline for the submission of data is March 31, 2026.
The EFSA said it will then consider the relevance of the information provided for the risk assessment.
Bovaer
A spokesperson for dsm-firmenich, the company that developed Bovaer, told Agriland they welcome the announcement from the EFSA that it will review the latest scientific data concerning Bovaer.
“In 2021, EFSA concluded that Bovaer is safe for dairy cows after reviewing a comprehensive dossier based on more than 10 years of research.
“EFSA confirmed that Bovaer is safe for dairy cows, farmers, consumers, and the environment when used as indicated, and that milk and meat from cows receiving Bovaer are safe to consume.
Bovaer was officially approved for use as a feed additive for dairy cows in 2022.
“Since then, there has been significant additional research, including more than 55 peer-reviewed, published studies, all of which support the already extensive research previously considered by the EFSA to demonstrate that Bovaer is both safe and effective,” the spokesperson added.
Review
dsm-firmenich said it will make its own submissions to the EFSA process based on the scientific research and its own findings.
“The majority (about 75%) of Danish farmers began using Bovaer in October 2025.
“This is the most problematic time of the year for routine health problems in dairy herds.
“Based on research in recent months, dsm-firmenich’s expectation is that the issues raised will ultimately be shown to reflect a mix of seasonality, feed quality, and disease,” the company spokesperson said.
Bovaer has been tested for over a decade and has been in commercial use for over three years.
It is currently used in more than 25 countries, including Denmark.
