Today, 20 years later, rHCh is still legal in the United States, but not in Japan, Canada or the European Union, and there is strong consumer demand for rGBS-free products. Recombinant bovine somatotropin is an artificially synthesized form of bovine growth hormone. It is legal in several countries, including the United States, for use as an artificial lactation stimulant for cattle. However, its use is banned in most parts of Europe for reasons of consumer preference, animal welfare and scepticism about new technologies. [66] Farmers who choose to use the synthetic hormone do so because they believe it increases milk production without other inputs. However, concerns about product safety and livestock abuse have led to discussions about new methods for determining rBST levels in dairy cows. One of the proposed methods is to quantify the presence or absence of rBST-binding antibody in serum. However, this method would require regular blood sampling and is therefore considered too invasive by some critics. The development of alternative methods will be pursued. One such example, tested by W.W. Thatcher at the University of Florida,[67] involves taking milk samples from cows and analyzing them directly for the presence of rBST antibodies. Dairy cows react to rBST antigen and have tested positive in immunosorbent studies in milk samples. Tests with pasteurized milk samples even showed consistent results, with rSTrBSrimmunoglobulin remaining detectable and distinguishable despite the presence of other antibodies.
Research into the feasibility of this new technique, as well as many others[68] as a means of monitoring rBST levels in dairy cows, remains a question of practicality, cost-effectiveness and humanity vis-à-vis livestock in the dairy industry. [69] The human form of growth hormone, also called somatotropin, is formed by the pituitary gland. It promotes cell growth and replication. Bovine growth hormone (BGH), also known as bovine somatotrophin (BST), is the natural form of this hormone in cattle. In addition to organic dairy, several other companies have committed to sourcing rBGH-free milk for their products, including Dannon, Breyers and, of course, Ben and Jerry`s (although they were purchased by Unilever). In response to these trends, a rBST advocacy group called American Farmers for the Advancement and Conservation of Technology (AFACT),[77] composed of dairies and originally affiliated with Monsanto, formed in early 2008 and began lobbying to ban such labels. AFACT explained that “absence labels” can be misleading and imply that milk from rBST-treated cows is of inferior quality. [58] The organization was dissolved in 2011. [78] Until the 1980s, the use of the compound in agriculture was very limited, as the only source of the hormone came from cattle carcasses.
During this period, knowledge about the structure and function of the hormone increased. [16] The use of the recombinant supplement has been controversial. [15] [57] The assessment of the FDA is that there is no significant difference between milk from treated and untreated cows. [58] [59] Twenty-one other countries have also approved the marketing of rBST: Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Egypt, Guatemala, Honduras, Jamaica, Lebanon, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, South Africa, Uruguay and Venezuela.