In DII’s regular column, an industry figure airs personal views
on a variety of subjects.

There has been a lot said about the advantages and disadvantages of the growth hormone bovine somatotropin (BST). It has been referred to as cutting edge genetic technology and the ultimate tool for efficient milk production. But it has also been dubbed just about the worst thing to happen to agriculture since they stopped hanging politicians regularly.
Last October, before Canada slapped a ban on its use, a group of government scientists gave evidence about the hormone to the Canadian parliament’s Senate Committee on Agriculture and Forestry. The atmosphere during the hearing was tinged with latent paranoia, and the scientists refused to testify until they were assured in writing that there would be no recriminations.
This is perhaps understandable. One expert had had her filing cabinet broken into while it was in a Canadian government building. When she contacted the Royal Canadian Mounted Police to report the crime, the files were mysteriously replaced. Sadly, they were the wrong files.
While this is intriguing, perhaps of more immediate relevance to the subject under scrutiny was a discussion about the effects of BST on the cows themselves. One witness, a man who had spent 30 years with the Canadian ministry, described the side effects he had witnessed himself. He told of some nasty reactions to the fortnightly injections, including blotching of the cow’s skin. Some marks, he said, were the size of dinner plates. He had also seen elongation of the hooves, which causes lameness, and a drop in haemoglobin levels.
Another matter raised at the hearing was one more likely than most to cause an adverse consumer reaction