Reuters | October 26, 1999
BRUSSELS - The European Commission on Tuesday proposed renewing its ban on animal welfare grounds on the use and marketing of the hormone BST, which is used to boost milk production in dairy cows, it said in a statement.
Bovine Somatotrophin (BST) is already banned in the 15-nation bloc, although a five-year moratorium on its use is set to expire at the end of the year. The hormone is made by life sciences giant Monsanto Co of the United States.
"The scientific advice provided to the Commission confirms the need for the ban which has been in place for the past decade and which is fully supported by the member states and the public," David Byrne, European Commissioner for consumer affairs, said in the statement.
"Animal health and welfare will both be better protected as a result," Byrne added, saying that the renewed ban would come into force from January 1, 2000, and would have no impact on imports of dairy and meat from third countries.
The use of BST increased the risk of clinical mastitis and the incidence of foot and leg disorders in cattle as well as sometimes adversely affecting reproduction and inducing severe reactions in cattle when injected, the Commission said.
It was still unclear whether BST posed a risk to human health through people drinking the milk from cattle injected with the hormone and further studies were needed, it added.
The U.S. government approved the use of BST in dairy cows around six years ago.
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