For nearly two years now, there has been a state-by-state battle over whether states forbid letting you know how your milk was produced. Without labeling information, you cannot know whether your milk was produced with the artificial hormone rBST / rBGH. Unbossed has carried many stories on this issue during this time, and these stories may be found here.
The key front in that ongoing battle is now Ohio.
Last year a handful of corporations helped pass a law in Ohio making it illegal for our dairy farmers to label their milk rBGH-free. They don’t want U.S. consumers to know when artificial bovine growth hormone (rBGH) is used in producing milk for America’s consumers.
On July 23rd the International Dairy Foods Association and Organic Trade Association will have a joint mediation with the Ohio Department of Agriculture to decide whether this rule go into affect.
You can sign the petition telling Gov. Strickland that you support the right to know.
What this issue is not about
This issue is not a debate over rBST or rBGH. It is not about whether people should drink milk or not. It is solely over allowing people who do buy milk to have the knowledge they need to make a choice about how to spend their money.
What this issue is about
People want this information for many reasons.
There are some differences between milk produced with and without artificial hormones, and research is ongoing about whether those differences affect health. Some research suggests it does.
Some people are concerned about the welfare of animals, and there is evidence that the use of these hormones causes suffering in the cows who are injected with the hormone.
Some people support the precautionary principle. They take the position that the burden of proof should be on showing that a food is safe before it is released to the public rather than proving it is unsafe, something that can take many years and result in suffering or harm. They thus oppose the plunge into using these products until they are shown to be safe.
Some are concerned about Monsanto's practices in developing and distributing other bio-engineered products and try to avoid supporting it in any way.
What you can do
The petition says:
Call Ohio Governor Ted Strickland and tell him that this anti-labeling law is unfair and un-democratic.
We think it’s important that Americans know what’s in their food, especially when it contains artificial hormones. Right now other states are considering similar regulations – but – We need to stop this in Ohio before it spreads!
The Ohio labeling law prohibits statements like “rBGH-free” or “no-rBGH” on all milk cartons. This takes away a basic right for organic companies and dairy farmers to properly label how their milk was produced.
Milk from Organic Valley’s cooperative of 1,300 family dairy farmers is always completely free of rBGH and we believe consumers have a right to make an informed choice in the milk they purchase for their families.
If Ohio’s regulation continues, many dairy producers will be forced to remove all their rBGH-free labeling.
This means you will no longer be able to choose how you want your milk produced.
You can contact Gov. Strickland at this link and ask him to rescind the Executive Order.
You can also show your position via the Credo website. The Credo website includes additional information on the issues involved in milk labeling.
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