Marketing milk as hormone-free hurtsconsumers and farmers

Tag: Cow Milking Machine
Michael Hansen and Rhonda Perry are guilty of the very violations they claim that lobbyists are committing in "Lobbyists try to keep milk information from consumer" (April 1). Under the guise of promoting consumers' "right to know what's in their food," they offer blatant misinformation on the subject. The claim that "there are significant changes in milk and dairy products produced with (recombinant bovine growth hormone)" simply is untrue. The facts: All cows have a natural protein (bST) that helps them produce milk. Some dairy farmers choose to supplement their cows' bST to boost milk production, helping to ensure a plentiful milk supply. Extensive studies have shown that milk from these cows is the same wholesome product consumers have enjoyed for generations. This has been affirmed and reaffirmed by the Food and Drug Administration, among other leading U.S. and international health organizations. Additionally, there is no test to determine if milk has been produced by a cow that has been treated with rbST or recombinant bovine growth hormone. A dairy farmer, who must sign an affidavit that he does not treat his cows with rbST, receives only a small percentage of the added premium that is charged the consumer. If other safe effective technologies are banned, what happens? The farmer gets no premium, and the consumer continues to pay more for milk. Ill-informed activists then can pick out another production practice they believe is detrimental to the cow and/or the consumer. Consider the milking machine. Some may think it's cruel to attach a machine to a cow, twice a day, every day. So, then we are left with hand-milking. The end result: an ever-shrinking milk supply and sky-high prices. I support labeling and telling the consumer the truth, including the facts about the content of the product they are going to purchase. Milk is milk, as it comes from the cow. However, the real truth is that pitting one milk against another is purely for the purpose of profit. This marketing ploy hardly protects consumers. It hurts them.