Bovaer’s expansion in Asia gathers pace

Bovaer, the methane-reducing feed additive for cattle and other ruminants, has been making headlines recently after its maker dsm-firmenich secured MoUs with dairy majors Meiji (in Japan) and Modern Dairy (in China); and regulators granted it market authorization in South Korea this week​.

Both Japan and South Korea have signed the Global Methane Pledge and aim to reduce absolute methane emissions by 30% by 2030. In Japan, more than 80% of methane emissions come from agriculture, with Bovaer set to be used as a tool to reduce emissions from the country’s more than 1 million dairy cows and more than 3 million beef cattle.

In South Korea, the product is the first of its kind to gain market approval and will be used to reduce emissions from beef cattle. It will form part of the country’s framework to support farmers in transitioning to sustainable practices, which includes a low-methane feed program. There are 3.6 million beef cattle in South Korea.

And in China, the feed ingredient is seeking regulatory approval, with Modern Dairy having signed a MoU to implement it at its dairy farms.

In November 2023, China published its Methane Emission Control Action Plan, which focuses on the country’s strategy for tackling emissions from energy, agriculture and waste. That plan lacks numerical targets, but according to the IEA, China is responsible for 10% of all human-caused methane emissions: a 2022 study estimated that the country emits around 1.7-1.9bn tons of CO2e of methane per year. Of that total, around 42% is from agriculture, iGDP estimates.

But gaining market authorization for Bovaer in China is still in the works. Mark van Nieuwland, Senior Vice President, Bovaer, said: “Just like most global markets, the process to gain market authorisation for Bovaer in China involves demonstrating a range of safety and efficacy requirements are met for animals, workers, humans, and the environment.

“The majority of the requirements will be met by the global regulatory dossier studies that we have completed over the past years.

We are currently focused on completing the local registration studies required for market authorisation in China. This preparation is an essential step to ensure that Bovaer meets the specific regulatory requirements needed for approval in this market.

“China, however, does have an additional requirement of conducting two local studies, which are currently underway. Once these studies are completed, the regulatory dossier will be submitted to initiate the registration process in China.”

The approval timeline feed additives meanwhile ‘can vary significantly’ he added. “The duration largely depends on the quality of the submitted dossier and the current workload at the registration authorities. Because of these factors, it is challenging to provide an exact estimate.”

Van Nieuwland added: “Our collaboration with Modern Dairy will allow us to tailor our offering and go-to-market strategy by working closely together to design a customised business model.

“We will explore the best ways to integrate Bovaer into Modern Dairy’s farming operations and establish the necessary carbon accounting and tracking systems to monitor Bovaer’s use.

“This partnership will ensure that our approach aligns with Modern Dairy’s specific needs and sustainability goals.”

Bovaer has so far received market approval for methane reduction in more than 65 markets, including the US, Mexico and Canada, where distributor Elanco expects to launch the product in the beginning of Q3.