The dairy industry is set to make significant in-roads in reducing levels of saturated fats in milk and also its carbon footprint thanks to the introduction of a new animal feed raw material by the UK's largest feed supplier BOCM PAULS. The product, called Lintec, also has significant animal health and welfare benefits - ticking another of the boxes that the industry needs to tick in order to satisfy consumer concerns over the health of dairy products, or their production and environmental impact.

The product, Lintec, is based on linseed - which has been fed to dairy cows for generations. The triple package of benefits comes as a result of the linseed variety having been bred to have very high levels of Omega 3, similar to levels in fresh, spring grass. No GM technology has been used in the development. The linseed is then processed using temperature and pressure to produce a natural feed that works within the animal to subtly change the cow's metabolism and fatty acid synthesis in both the rumen and the udder. As a result saturated fat levels in the milk are reduced, and methane output, one of the most significant elements in dairying's carbon footprint, is also cut by up to 10%. There are other positive nutritional benefits for the cows too, in a similar way that Omega 3 has for human nutrition.

Although new to the UK the product has been extensively used on the continent for a number of years. In France, for example, milk, egg and meat processors have not just embraced the product on-farm, they have taken the concept through to consumers with on-pack branding of food with either a 'Bleu-Blanc-Coeur' or an 'Omega 3 Naturally' logo. The 'Bleu', or the blue flower in the logo, refers to the linseed. "Milk, yogurt, eggs, ham, cheese, beef and many other products are all available with Bleu-Blanc-Coeur", said Beatrice Dupont, sales manager for Valorex, which owns the patent rights to the extrusion process and which is  sharing its technical knowledge and research with BOCM PAULS. "You can eat all of the menu in France with Bleu-Blanc-Coeur," she said. Her company has carried out extensive human nutrition trials to support the claims.

It is not yet known to what extent saturated fat levels or methane will be reduced in the UK, and trial work to best integrate Lintec to the UK situation to determine those levels is continuing, said BOCM PAULS national ruminant development manager Wyn Morris. He disclosed that his company "has lots of projects on the go with Lintec", and significant interest in it already from dairy processors and retailers,  but would not reveal specifics.

The firm is also trying to encourage UK arable farmers to grow linseed, and when sales of the product reaches a critical mass is likely to invest in the necessary extrusion equipment for the UK. Currently the linseed has to be exported to France for processing, and then reimported.

David Forbes, BOCM PAULS marketing manager said Lintec "will revolutionise ruminant feeding in the UK, because it is 'good for the cow, good for the farmer, good for human nutrition and good for the environment too'. It will change the way we think about ruminant nutrition."