July 3, 1999
Monsanto's genetically manipulated recombinant bovine growth hormone (rBGH) was reviewed in Rome this week by the Codex Alimentarius Commission, a joint body, serving the World Health Organization and the Food and Agriculture Orgnization and charged with setting standards for protecting food quality and safety.

Monsanto claims that 30% of American dairy cows are injected with the hormone at some time in their lives.  It increases their milk yield by about 10%.  Oddly enough, the milk yield of Australian cows that are free to graze on grass has been increased the same amount by incorporating sugar in the form of over-aged candy ground up in their supplementary feed.

The European Union has banned rBGH since 1990 and Canada has recently renewed its ban on the product which veterinary consultants claim causes fertility problems,  and increases the incidence of lameness by 50% mastitis by 25%.  Mastitis, a painful udder infection, is treated with antibiotics which can wind up in the milk reaching humans, possibly causing allergic reactions and reducing the effectiveness of antibiotics by giving more organisms the opportunity to develop immunity to them.