Apparently I missed an op-ed shilling the need not to lable rSBT rBST milk in the NY Times a few days ago, but because the (currently unhindered) internet allows me to read it a few days late, I can play “catch-up.” Now, as I have read through this piece shilling for Monsanto, I can tell you up front, that the author is a former head of the FDA’s biotechnology office, and now at the Hoover Institution, spending his time trying to convince us that genetically modified foods, including the use of recombant bovine growth hormones are necessary and good. Milk prices have been rising, anybody that buys milk on a regular bases has noticed this. As I buy organic milk specifically labeled hormone free, I can tell you from personal experience that milk has only risen 2 or 3 times in the past two years, where milk with additives has had more price increases. But, Miller uses the recent price increase of milk with additives to push rBST.
One way to ease the shortage and lower the prices is to take greater advantage of a proven 13-year-old biological technology that stimulates milk production in dairy cows — a protein called recombinant bovine somatotropin (rBST), or bovine growth hormone. The protein, produced naturally by a cow’s pituitary, is one of the substances that control its milk production. It can be made in large quantities with gene-splicing (recombinant DNA) techniques. The gene-spliced and natural versions are identical.
Miller is correct about the protein as it occurs naturally. What he doesn’t tell us is that when injecting a cow with rBST, the additional hormones remain in the milk, particularly IGF-1 (insulin growth factor), and are not destroyed by pasteurization.
While I was pulling up a bunch of my links on the subject (and I’ll get to why I have so many links later), I found that his opening line is remarkably similar to Beverly Corey’s article for the FDA (which the FDA notes is now outdated).
The fight against rBST aka bovine growth hormone (RbGh), has been long standing. RbGH is linked to pus and blood entering the milk of cows, not to mention increasing antibiotic resistance in people due to the numerous antibiotic drugs given to cows weakened by rBST. In fact, in a 1994 LA Times editorial, Samuel S. Epstein, MD wrote (also found in his book, The Politics of Cancer, Revisited, page 601):
“Monsanto’s own data further show up to an 80% incidence of mastitis, an udder infection, in hormone-treated cattle and resulting contamination of milk with statistically significant levels of pus…”
Drink your pus, dear. It’s good for Monsanto!
Beyond the pus issue, which is gross enough in and of itself, we find the link to increased cancer incidences, particularly in breast, colon and prostate cancers is downplayed or outright ignored. Breast cancer is something I know about — I’m edging up to my 4-year anniversary of being diagnosed with estrogen-receptor positive IDC breast cancer, and a reason why I have numerous links on rSBT. Simply put, it is the IGF-1 (Insulin Growth Factor — also resistant to pasteurization) increase in cows treated with rBST, which passes into your body, increasing your own levels of IGF-1, that the biotechnology industry and the FDA have consistently ignored. So, yes, folks, my views on rSBT are quite biased as it is very possible (note I did not say conclusive) that this helped grow my own personal cancer.
Nor can we ignore Monsanto teaming up with Fox to fight against two investigative reporters, daring to to tell people the truth about rBST/RbGH. This article details the extremes Monsanto has gone to, in order to discredit opposing views of their product. One can conclude that Miller is toeing the Monsanto rule by denigrating opponents of rBST/RbGH.
Bad-faith efforts by biotechnology opponents to portray rBST as untested or harmful, and to discourage its use, keep society from taking full advantage of a safe and useful product. The opponents’ limited success is keeping the price of milk unnecessarily high.
Perhaps Miller, and the biotechnology giant Monsanto (and other rBST makers) don’t see the rising cost of milk as being connected to dairy farmers increased use of antibiotics to combat the mastitis stemming from rBST? And I find it particularly interesting that Miller, while discrediting opponents, and the so-called limited success in their campaign against rBST, has tagged them with the very reason for price increases — when organic milk hasn’t had nearly as many price increases.
Miller goes on, actually wanting you to believe that countries around the world agree with rBST use,
Comprehensive studies by academics and government regulatory agencies around the world have found no differences in the composition of milk or meat from rBST-supplemented cows.
Perhaps someone may want to check on these studies to find out how many were funded by Monsanto and other biotechnology companies. I’m sure we’ll find the majority, if not all, studies touting the benefits of rBST to have been funded by the industry.
But, I digress. The truth of the matter is, many countries ban the use of rBST, as one letter-to-the-editor writer points out (who is the Executive Director for the Center for Food Safety, signing his letter with his title) in today’s NY Times (first of the 7 letters published).
But, the fight against rBST has heated up again, actually since the beginning of this year, and it is necessary for the biotechnology shills to trot out their bullshit, as we can see from the numerous articles for and against rBST recently published. It is clear that as more and more people become aware of the hazards of rBST, they don’t want it in their milk or their foods. When the people don’t want rBST in their milk, grocery stores are complying, as are more and more dairy farmers. True to form, Monsanto has waged a campaign to stop dairy farmers from going rBST-free.
Yes, folks, it’s been a slow growing revolution against corporate greed that could give a rats ass about your actual health. In fact, I would argue that Monsanto and other biotechnology companies making bovine growth hormones have a monetary stake in your getting sickly — as these companies are invested in, or directly connected (read as own) to the pharmaceuticals that produce the medicines you will be taking. And I haven’t even mentioned Monsanto’s connections to the Bush administration. Ooops, I guess I just did!
But, there is something you can do to keep your milk free of pus, extra hormones and other health hazards. Buy milk from local dairies that do not use rBST, and if local dairies are not available to you, buy milk specifically labled hormone or rBST free.
P.S. I forgot to include that I mainly name Monsanto as 1. they are the biggest producer of rBST and 2. they have actively engaged in promoting disinformation and censorship
