MOUNT VERNON — As consumer resistance to the use of bovine growth hormones to boost production in dairy cows has continued to grow, agribusiness giant Monsanto has announced that it is selling off its “Posilac” hormone product.
Recombinant bovine growth hormone (rBGH, also known as recombinant bovine somatotropin or rBST) is a synthetically reproduced version of the natural hormone which prompts milk production in dairy cows. Although approved by the Food and Drug Administration and having been in use for the last 15 years in the United States, American consumers have begun to grow doubtful about the safety and ethics of the technology in recent years, particularly after seeing rBGH banned in many European countries.
“While Posilac is a strong product for the business, we believe repositioning the business with a strategic owner will allow Monsanto to focus on the growth of its core seeds and traits business while ensuring that loyal dairy farmers continue to receive the value of Posilac in their operations,” said Carl Casale, Monsanto’s executive vice president of strategy and operations, in a news release on Monsanto’s Web site.
Monsanto and supporters of the use of rBGH point out that standard FDA testing is unable to distinguish between milk produced with and without the use of rBGH boosting.
Others have said there are differences which aren’t being picked up by those particular tests.
Dr. Sam Epstein of the Cancer Prevention Coalition and author of the book “What’s In Your Milk?” has said that there is a related hormone, IGF-1, which is identical in humans and cattle. According to Epstein, the use of rBGH has the side-effect of creating a spike in IGF-1. This hormone can cause a proliferation of cells in cattle and humans, including cancerous cells.
Michael Hansen, senior scientist with the Consumers Union, which publishes “Consumer Reports,” said rBGH increases incidences of mastitis in cattle, leading to the use of further antibiotics, causing further bacterial resistance to antibiotics as the residue spreads throughout the food chain.
Smith’s Dairy in Orrville, one of the largest milk handlers in Ohio, no longer accepts milk produced with rBGH, which has angered some area farmers who use the synthetic hormone. Those farmers, as reported previously in the Mount Vernon News, are concerned that if forced to abandon rBGH, their operational efficiencies will go down, resulting in rising milk costs. According to Monsanto, one-third of cattle nationwide are injected with rBGH, although the FDA estimates the actual number is closer to 15 percent.
