Growth Hormones

USFRA’s Point of View

• USFRA's View on Growth Hormones

  Hormones occur naturally in living animals and even in some produce. Many consumers have questions about supplemental hormone use in raising farm animals. Farmers and ranchers are committed to sharing information and answering questions about hormone use so consumers can make knowledgeable choices about their food.

  The U.S. Farmers and Ranchers Alliance (USFRA) is comprised of people in agriculture with a variety of perspectives and views. Likewise, we have farmers and ranchers who use a number of different management practices in the process of growing and raising food. The use of supplemental hormones, based on years of scientific study and veterinarian oversight, is one tool that some of our farmers and ranchers choose. Additionally, USFRA has industry partners who develop, manufacture and market hormones for farm animal use.

  Hormones are often paired with the word antibiotics. These are two separate tools with different purposes. Scientifically speaking, here’s a breakdown of hormones and antibiotics.

  Hormones:

  Hormones are naturally occurring chemicals produced in an organ of the body that are carried in a bodily fluid to another organ or tissue where they have specific effects. Insulin, for example, is a hormone that lowers blood glucose. The hormone gastrin aids in digestion. There may be as many as 100 hormones in the human and animal body. Hormones are naturally occurring in any living organism.

  Hormones also can be man-made, replicating naturally occurring hormones. Both naturally occurring and man-made hormones can be safely used to supplement the hormones in farm animals when raising them for food or milk. The use of hormones varies greatly depending on species. Any supplemental hormones used in farming and ranching must first be approved and then are monitored to ensure no residues above and beyond what’s natural and safe for consumers enters the food supply.

  Antibiotics:

  Antibiotics are substances that are produced by one microorganism and have the ability to kill or inhibit the growth or multiplication (reproduction) of other microorganisms.

  Consumers should have the choice to purchase food products from animals raised with or without the use of supplemental hormones. And the agriculture industry must continually strive to make information available to consumers.

  Hormones occur naturally in farm animals like dairy cows and even some produce. Hormones are present in our food even with animals that haven’t been given supplemental hormones – it’s a natural part of life. Residues in meat and dairy products from animals given supplemental hormones are extremely minimal – and have been studied extensively and proven to have no harmful effects on people. In beef cattle, for example, the naturally circulating levels of hormones in cattle may not be that different than those in supplemented cattle, depending on life stage. Additionally, any milk or meat tested, whether given supplemental hormones or not, will test positive because these hormones occur naturally in cows. 

  http://www.fda.gov/AnimalVeterinary/SafetyHealth/ProductSafetyInformation/ucm055436.htm

  Supplemental hormones may be safely used for both the raising of beef cattle, and in cows for milk production. In beef cattle, supplemental hormones can help synchronize the cycles of cows so ranchers can plan for calves to be born together and at a certain time of year. They also can help control temperament and stimulate growth by improving how feed is converted into lean muscle. In dairy cows, supplemental hormones are given to dairy cows to maintain production.

  Farmers and ranchers strive to create foods that are in the best interest of long-term human health, while protecting the environment and making sure animals are raised humanely. The use of supplemental growth hormones in beef cattle and dairy cows can be an important part of this equation.

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Questions & Answers

• Why do I hear so much about antibiotics being fed to animals to promote growth?

  This is a common misconception. Antibiotics allow the animal to remain healthy. When an animal is healthy, it will eat normally and gain weight. Just like humans who are sick, the desire to eat and drink is low. This is true for animals as well. Antibiotics for animals are used judiciously and in cooperation with a veterinarian.

  https://www.avma.org/KB/Resources/FAQs/Pages/Antimicrobial-Use-and-Antimicrobial-Resistance-FAQs.aspx

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• Are the levels of hormones in our food creating health problems like early puberty?

  No. Our own bodies make hormones on a daily basis, and we’d be dead without them. We consume all kinds of hormones in the foods we eat, organic or otherwise; even strict vegetarians ingest hormone-laced plant foods. http://nmpf.org/latest-news/ceo-corner/sep-2006/a-distinction-without-a-difference. Hormones occur naturally in many foods ranging from animal products to plants.

  The FDA and numerous scientific panels have studied the impact of using supplemental growth hormones in farm animals and found there is no effect on human health. http://www.fda.gov/

  In addition, residue from growth hormones in our food is extremely minimal. One example cited by Dan Thompson, DVM, PhD, Beef Cattle Institute, said that an eight ounce steak from a steer that did not use growth hormones is two nanograms versus from a steer that did use growth hormones is three nanograms. That is equivalent to a blade of grass on a football field. http://www.bovinevetonline.com/news/industry/A-blade-of-grass-in-a-football-field-160519345.html

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• Only organic milk is produced without hormones, right?

  No.  The majority of conventional milk in supermarkets is not from cows treated with supplemental hormones.

  All milk has bST because it’s a naturally occurring hormone that allows cows to produce milk. Even organic milk contains bST. Many conventional milk products are free from the supplemental version of this hormone, with only 15 percent of the dairy farmers using the synthetic product. Consumers have many choices – and don’t have to pay more for them.

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• Don’t large farms use hormones to make our food cheaper?

  Farms and ranches of all sizes and shapes – big and small – may choose to use supplemental growth hormones.

  In general, cattle and dairy farmers and ranchers use supplemental growth hormones 1) to keep costs lower because the animals grow better with less food; 2) to protect the environment because less food and fewer animals means less environmental impact and; 3) to keep the meat leaner and less fatty, an important quality many consumers want.

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• Only organic and natural products are hormone free, right?

  Hormones in animals occur naturally, even when raised organically. All animal products contain some hormones.

  Consumers looking for milk and beef raised without the benefit of supplemental hormones need only to look at their food labels. Conventional dairy products are readily available free from rbST or BGH, if consumers choose. And although most beef is considered natural, some companies have gone to the extra step of certifying and labeling natural to mean “no added hormones.” You don’t have to buy organic milk or beef to get a product raised without supplemental hormones.

  Many marketers and “experts” often quote misleading information about hormone use in farm animals in the U.S. that creates confusion for consumers.  For example, poultry and pork are never given growth hormones yet “natural” and sometimes organic products are often marketed “not grown with hormones.”  This can be misleading because their conventional product counterparts also were not grown with supplemental hormones.

  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qe5CTjtAW70&feature=plcp

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• If growth hormones are safe, why aren’t other species like pork and poultry using them?

  Each type of animal has different needs.  Raising a cow is very different from raising a pig or a turkey.  They can’t be lumped together.

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• How would eliminating hormones impact the meat industry?

  Cattle ranchers use hormones to improve how animals’ bodies turn food into lean muscle. This means meat is leaner and animals grow more quickly. This is one factor that helps meat prices for the consumers. Additionally, there’s less of an environmental impact per pound of meat raised today because of tools such as growth hormones. Each pound of beef raised in 2007, compared to 1977, uses 19 percent less feed, 33 percent less land, 12 percent less water and 9 percent less fossil fuel energy. http://www.explorebeef.org/

  Further, the use of growth hormones produces animals with leaner muscle, meaning the final product is less fatty – a quality many consumers demand and appreciate. http://www.fda.gov/AnimalVeterinary/SafetyHealth/ProductSafetyInformation/ucm055436.htm

  Similarly, dairy farmers may use hormones to extend milk production so fewer cows can make more milk, reducing costs and environmental impact. Modern dairy practices require considerably fewer resources than dairying in 1944 with 21 percent of animals, 23 percent of feedstuffs, 35 percent of the water and only 10 percent of the land required to produce the same one billion kilograms of milk. Hormones given to dairy cows are not the same as those given to cattle for beef. It doesn’t cause the animal to grow bigger.

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• Which farm animals generally do and don’t receive growth hormones?

  Beef: Supplemental hormones are used in about 95 percent of cattle production in the U.S. to synchronize cow reproductive cycles, control temperament and promote growth. http://www.explorebeef.org/CMDocs/ExploreBeef/FactSheet_GrowthPromotantApproval.pdf

  Dairy: Hormones are used in about 15 percent of cows in the U.S. to increase milk production. http://www.nationaldairycouncil.org/

  Pork: No hormones are used to promote the growth of pigs in the U.S. Rather, hormones can be given to assist sows during birth. Like humans, they receive Oxytocin to aid the sow during labor.    http://viewer.zmags.com/publication/a954b1fd#/a954b1fd/38

  Poultry: No hormones are used to promote the growth of poultry in the U.S. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qe5CTjtAW70&feature=plcp

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According to Dr. Bob Goldberg, he says genetic modification is an ancient technology. Our ancestors have been doing this for years. He says the difference now -- we know where the genes are, we know where they go in the plant and we understand the structure of the plant. He says it the safest technology probably ever invented in agriculture.

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