Milk Pros And Cons

Since rBST was approved in the United States; scientist, politicians and dairy milk producers have argued for or against its use. The truth is that many studies have been done and the lack of arguments and scientific proof about possible repercussions is the main reason why it is still legal. People still can decide which milk to buy; either treated cow milk or non-treated cow milk. The problem comes when people think that treated herd milk is a potential threat to their lives because they are not well informed about the facts on which different studies have relied. Even though the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has stated there is no difference between recombinant bovine somatotropin (rBST) milk and non rBST milk, people still believe there are several health, economic and animal welfare issues linked to this hormone. According to Charlotte P. Brennand, Bovine Somatotropin (BST) is a hormone produced in the pituitary gland of the cow. Such hormone makes faster calf growth acting as a growth hormone and in lactation enhances the cow body fat transportation, resulting in an increment of the milk production rate (Brennand & Clell Bagley, 2012).
The first attempts of the usage of the hormone dates to 1937, so it is not a new substance. The difference is that
“On average about 10%; after having a calf, a cow produces milk for about 300 days. The highest daily milk production will occur at about eight weeks after calving and then the level of milk production per day gradually declines during the rest of the lactation period. Not all cows give the same amount of milk. Cows that produce the highest amounts of milk generally have about the same peak milk production per day as lower producing cows. However, the rate of decline in daily production of milk during the rest of lactation is slower in these high-producing cows (Barbano,