Is recombinant bovine growth hormone (rBGH or rBST) on the way out? Maybe not yet, but two recent news articles underscore how the tide is turning against artificial growth hormones in dairy. The New York Times’ notes that rBGH-free milk brands have spread throughout the United States, with many mainstream brands banning the hormone. Even Dean Foods, the largest milk processor in the United States, now has milk processing plants that do not accept milk from hormone-treated cows. As the Times rightly notes “[W[hen one dairy company makes the shift to rBST-free, it puts pressure on others.” From farmers to company executives, the dairy industry points to consumer pressure (this means you!) as the driving force in this growing tide against rBGH.

“’It’s like steroids for athletes,” said Stephen H. Taylor, New Hampshire’s commissioner of agriculture, of the artificial growth hormone. The fact that even state agricultural officials- normally bosom buddies of biotechnology- are criticizing the use of recombinant bovine growth hormone is a turning point. Taylor goes on to say that, a dairy farmer himself, he used the hormone but it “put stress on his cows and made them thinner.” Adding fuel to the fire, the frontpage headline of a Vermont newspaper this Saturday was “Vermont Ag secretary backs milk hormone ban”. The VT Agriculture Secretary, Steve Kerr, said it makes sense for dairy farmers in Vermont to stop using the hormone “because the consumer doesn’t want it and it isn’t going to work.” Sounds about right to us.

Find out where to buy dairy products without artificial growth hormones.