"rbst" news and stories

We've most likely all heard about the controversy surrounding rBST, the growth hormone for cows that makes them produce more milk. Well, Monsanto has recently announced that they're selling their brand of rBST, Posilac.

Monsanto states in their announcement that they want to focus on their core business of seeds and traits. However, it is possible to speculate that this decision may have something to do with the current consumer backlash against bovine growth hormones. Though rBST seems to be more harmful to the cows than to humans, most people are still very concerned about artificial hormones in the milk they drink.

My question is, where is Monsanto going to find a buyer for Posilac? It's already banned in Australia, New Zealand, Canada, most of the EU, and Michigan. With mounting opposition to artificial growth hormones, my prediction is that Monsanto is going to have a hard time getting this product off their hands. What do you think will happen to Posilac?

Although many consumers are concerned with the standard of living of the cows, one of the primary reasons that people buy organic milk is because they are concerned about drinking milk from cows that have been treated with hormones, specifically the growth hormone rBST. The hormone has been in use since 1993 and estimates say that about 22% of cows are regularly treated with it. Only about 3% of the milk market is covered by organic milk and, due to demand and the higher operating costs of organic farms, organic milk can cost consumers twice as much as conventional milk.

For both consumers and producers, there is a middle ground: hormone free milk. Dairies do not have to meet the standards for organic milk, which is good from a time/cost perspective, but they can charge more for the hormone-free milk than for conventional. The non-rBST milk is usually priced right between conventional and organic, so shoppers can save and still get milk they feel comfortable drinking.

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