What does rBST Free Mean?

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Recombinant bovine somatotropin (rBST) is a hormone used by many commercial dairies to increase milk production. The hormone has been marketed under a number of names, but most consumers know it as rBST or BST. The use of rBST has met with some controversy from a variety of fronts, including the animal rights movement and some commercial dairy farmers. As a result, dairies that produce milk products without the use of rBST have begun indicating this on their labels.

After some battling with the United States Department of Agriculture, dairies in the United States are allowed to use the rBST free label as long as a disclaimer is included suggesting that no harmful human health effects have been linked with the hormone. This claim is contended by some scientists, who argue that further research on the hormone is needed. However, there is some agreement within the commercial dairy industry that the use of rBST is harmful to the cows, forcing them to produce more milk than they can safely do normally. As a result, cows treated with rBST have been found to develop bone weakness and usually die within one or two milking cycles of rBST treatment.

Because of this, the use of rBST is usually reserved for cows who have already reached the end of their lives, in an attempt to extract more milk from them. These cows may have a difficult end of life, with some experiencing broken limbs due to calcium deficiency because their excessive milk production has stripped the calcium from their bones. These cows may also be undernourished, because all of the energy they derive from food goes into milk production.

With growing consumer awareness of farming practices, dairies have begun to realize that treating their cows more humanely may result in a stronger and more loyal customer base. Because rBST can express in milk, dairies also want consumers to know that their milk products do not contain the hormone, so that consumers can make their own choices about whether or not to consume it. The use of the rBST free label has been bitterly fought by both pharmaceutical companies and major dairies, who would prefer that the label not be used at all.

rBST is actually a natural hormone that can be found in the pituitary glands of all cows. Research discovered that cows with elevated levels of the hormone produced more milk, and that rBST extracted from one cow and injected into another would result in higher levels of milk production for the rBST treated cow. In the 1980s, synthesized rBST was developed, and testing began in dairy cattle. The United States Department of Agriculture determined that because rBST is a species specific growth hormone, milk from rBST treated cows is identical to that of cows not injected with the hormone. As a result, rBST treated milk was approved for commercial sale.

Many nations, including those in the European Union and Canada, have banned the use of rBST in their cattle. The European Union is more inclined to ban the use of hormones in their food supply, suggesting that they would prefer that consumers eat more naturally produced foods. Many advocates against the use of rBST point to this ban, suggesting that the United States should follow suit and disallow the use of the controversial hormone.

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New: Discuss this Article

Posted by: anon17513
BST is a hormone which means it's a protein. Ingesting it would denature it, rendering it inactive. People are taller, develop earlier, live longer than their grandparents because quality of living is higher. It has nothing to do with what's in the food but rather the quality of food you eat. A person with a healthier diet is going to develop faster or grow closer to their maximum potential than someone with a nutrient poor diet. Plus there's the whole realm of genetic expression and recessive genes but that's a whole other discussion. There's more to it than "somebody's tainted the meat!". Do a little research and it will make sense.
Posted by: anon13357
All I can say is that these last 2 generations are developing sooner. They are taller and bigger than there parents... And I have a feeling that these pro-hormone posters either are using hormones themselves or work for Monsanto or a company owned by Monsanto...
Posted by: anon13044
What does this do to our young daughters development when they drink milk from cows injected with this hormone? and what studies or facts support our childrens health when they ingest this milk? Is this the first generation of children to be given this milk?
Posted by: anon10330
Whoever posted the last comment, they are wrong. rBST doesn't help cattle live longer ... it actually takes years off of their lifespan.
Posted by: anon9020
BST is good for its use and can help older cows live longer healthier lives
Posted by: anon8451
Recombinant Bovine Somatotropin is one of the greater advances to the modern Dairy industry. Increasing the productive capacity of the dairy cow not only increases efficiency, it also allows the animal to maintain a high DMI (Dry matter intake). This benefits the cow by constantly maintaining a health rumen environment, hence a more comfortable life. Under proper management techniques, cattle treated with rBST can stay in production for several lactations, on par, if not better than animals without rBST treatment.

Cattle (and animals in general) are not able to communicate their feelings to humans. Therefore, we have had to take steps to monitor cow comfort through solid, scientific means: stress-hormone levels in blood. NO scientific studies have found statistically significant increases in stress indicator hormones in cattle treated with rBST. Cattle still live healthy, low stress lives with the treatment of rBST.

Lastly, Hormones in Milk:

There is no way to measure the actual amount of somatotropin in milk, as it is a naturally occurring hormone, and is present in milk regardless of treatment with rBST. It is also a protein hormone; specifically coded to its target. Even if there were hormones in the milk, the pasteurization process would denature the protein, effectively rendering the hormone biologically inactive.

Some dairy producers still have problems with the use of rBST in cattle. However, when it comes down to it, it is all economics. Some producers will not use it as they can pocket a premium for "cows not treated with rBST" milk. Other producers look on a macroeconomic scale. With an increase in supply, the price for milk will go down, reducing revenue to the producer. However, following this logic, farms could just start dumping milk to raise the milk price, correct?

When it comes down to it, rBST is here and here to stay. As we face a growing global population, we must be able to feed more people with fewer resources. The answer to this is technology, be it rBST, GM crops, or more efficient food systems.

Posted by: anon7419
If a consumer wants to buy bst free milk please go for it, but please refuse to pay more for it than milk that is not labeled as such. Right now a farmer might get a 1 percent premium for giving up what may or may not be a profitable technology. If you want to support farmers who produce your food the way you want it produced look for a farm that retails it's own milk--don't support the price gougers.

It is ineffective to start using bst late in a cow's lactation.

Using bst can actually keep a cow more fit in late lactation. If a cow goes too long before she gets pregnant she will drop off in production long before she is ready to dry off. If she is eating the same high energy diet her high producing herdmates are she will get over conditioned or fat. If she is treated with extra bst she can continue to put that energy into making milk rather than getting "out of shape" which could cause more problems by the next lactation. This is where bst really can do some good, when the normal gestation cycle gets a little out of whack, using bst can help keep that cow productive rather than on her way to MacDonalds


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