A wave of misinformation is circulating online wrongly linking Microsoft cofounder Bill Gates to Bovaer, a cutting-edge animal feed additive designed to reduce methane emissions from livestock.
Methane is a powerful greenhouse gas, contributing to at least a quarter of today's global warming, according to the United Nations.
Gates has invested in a similar bovine animal feed additive through Rumin8, not the one he is being linked to online. In June of this year, Rumin8 announced positive top-line results from its three cattle trials of its investigational methane-reducing feed additive.
According to reports, the additive has not yet received regulatory approval in the United States. Newsweek contacted Rumin8, the FDA, and USDA via email on Friday for comment.
But the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) confirmed earlier this year that Bovaer does meet safety and efficacy requirements, as reported by Elanco Animal Health Incorporated.
"[The FDA ] has completed its comprehensive, multiyear review of Bovaer® (3-NOP), a first-in-class methane-reducing feed ingredient, and determined the product meets safety and efficacy requirements for use in lactating dairy cattle," said Elanco. It has announced an agreement with DSM-Firmenich to expand distribution of Bovaer across North America, adding both the Canada and Mexico markets.
As reported by U.K. trade publication The Grocer, dairy giant Arla, maker of leading brands such as Lurpak butter, has teamed up with Bovaer to trial the new animal feed in partnership with major U.K. supermarkets after the additive was approved for use there in April.
However, Arla is facing increasing calls for a boycott of its products in the U.K. and hundreds of social media users on X, formerly Twitter, are vowing to avoid Arla's brands.
Many users are citing unsubstantiated claims about the additive's safety, with several wrongly linking Gates to the brand.
Musician Peter Sanford@realpetesanford urged his more than 19,000 followers on X to boycott the brand, whilst linking it to Gates saying: "URGENT BOYCOTT: Any Store that sells product from the #ARLA Initiative containing the Chemical Additive Bovaer 10.
"BOYCOTT ALL. These Companies connected to #BillGates are using YOU and your CHILDREN as Guinea Pigs [...]Why is Gates obsessed with adding Chemicals to Cow Feed?"
British TV personality Leilani Dowding @LeilaniDowding posted on the platform to her 175,000 followers: "You can trust Bill Gates to behind anything sinister going on. They are feeding cows Bovaer containing 3-nitrooxypropanol, or "3-NOP" to stop methane. MAY DAMAGE MALE FERTILITY AND REPRODUCTIVE ORGANS. Sound safe????"
While filmmaker Robin Monotti @robinmonotti posted a screenshot of a Google search about Bovaer to his 217,000 followers on X with the caption: "What a surprise! This is why Bill Gates is so keen on Bovaer! Side effects = potential damage to male fertility & reproductive organs."
None of the posters appear to have made checks which would reveal Gates has nothing to do with the brand, and is instead backing an alternative.
The comments have become so widespread that Arla put out a statement to dispel the rumors in response to the social media storm.
In an emailed statement to Newsweek on Friday, a spokesperson for Arla said: "The information spreading online surrounding our link to Bill Gates is completely false and claims relating to his involvement in our products are inaccurate.
"The health and safety of both consumers and animals is always our number one priority. Bovaer has already been extensively and safely used across Europe and at no point during the trial will there be any impact on the milk we produce as it does not pass from the cow into the milk.
"Regulatory bodies, such as the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) and U.K. Food Standards Agency, have approved its use based on evidence that it does not harm the animals or negatively impact their health, productivity, or the quality of milk."
Despite the backlash, the company has maintained that the additive is safe and described the social media storm as "misinformation" and "completely false," The Grocer reported.
The false claims appear to stem from online conspiracy theories that frequently target Gates due to his high-profile advocacy for climate action, renewable energy, and sustainable food systems.
Some have also linked the product to theories involving Gates, the World Economic Forum, and climate change denial, The Grocer reports.
Gates himself has not yet commented on the rumors but has previously spoken about the importance of reducing methane emissions as part of a climate strategy.
Through his philanthropic organization, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, and his investment fund Breakthrough Energy Ventures, Gates has supported numerous climate-focused projects.
Newsweek contacted the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation for comment via email on Friday and was advised that the U.S. office is closed through Friday, November 29th in observance of the Thanksgiving holiday.
What is Bovaer?
Bovaer, developed by Dutch-Swiss multinational DSM, is a feed supplement aimed at curbing the environmental impact of methane—a potent greenhouse gas produced by cows during digestion. When mixed into cow feed, the additive can cut methane emissions by up to 30 percent.
"Bovaer® is a feed additive that reduces enteric methane emissions, contributing to a significant and immediate reduction of the environmental footprint of meat, milk, and dairy products," DSM states on its website.
Newsweek contacted DSM via Instagram on Friday for comment.
"In dairy cows it reduces methane on average by 30 percent. In beef cattle, it reduces methane on average with 45 percent. The methane reduction effect of Bovaer® is dependent on the ration fed to your dairy and beef cattle and the dosage of Bovaer® applied," DSM added.
According to DSM, Bovaer® is authorized and available for sale in 55+ countries including the EU/EEA, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Mexico, Pakistan, Switzerland, Turkey, and the U.K.
The company claims that "it is the most extensively studied and scientifically proven solution to the challenge of burped methane to date."
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