WTO ruling on beef hormones

[Shaft]

http://www.healthcoalition.ca/hormones.html

http://fooddemocracy.wordpress.com/2007/10/12/hormones-in-milk-beef-could-put-kids-at-even-higher-risk/

http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?artid=1083852

http://humrep.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/full/dem092v1

In November 1989 the US banned the importation of cattle and beef products from Great Britain because of BSE. Canada did the same in February 1990. Now it appears that both the US and Canada want to argue that they have the right to protect their producers and consumers from perceived health threats from foreign beef and cattle, but the EU does not have that right. Smacks of hypocrisy to me, but maybe I'm just being too sensitive.

 

[Sandhusker]

http://www.healthcoalition.ca/hormones.html

http://fooddemocracy.wordpress.com/2007/10/12/hormones-in-milk-beef-could-put-kids-at-even-higher-risk/

http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?artid=1083852

http://humrep.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/full/dem092v1

In November 1989 the US banned the importation of cattle and beef products from Great Britain because of BSE. Canada did the same in February 1990. Now it appears that both the US and Canada want to argue that they have the right to protect their producers and consumers from perceived health threats from foreign beef and cattle, but the EU does not have that right. Smacks of hypocrisy to me, but maybe I'm just being too sensitive.

The USDA being hypocritical? Say it is't so! :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

 

[rkaiser]

Sensitive ---- :lol: :lol:

Thanks for the laugh this Good Sunday Morning Shaft. Good to hear that our new friend Ranchero thinks like a lot of the rest of us left on this site.

Seems to be being taken over by a new "Green Aware Unorthodox Ranchers Domain" :wink:

Sorry the D word was eluding me........[/b]

 

[rkaiser]

Still standing on your own two Legge's Shaft? :wink:

 

[Mrs.Greg]

I'd like the answer to What are the advantages to the cattle to add growth hormones to them?

 

[Anonymous]

I'd like the answer to What are the advantages to the cattle to add growth hormones to them?

Some argue it helps speed up growth- adds weight to calves and helps them finish out faster....Something along those lines...My own findings is its not worth the extra premium you can get for the "all natural"....

Personally- I think if the industry doesn't do something on its own- about cutting back/discontinuing antibiotic and hormone use - Congress will.....Some big push's going on right now about the labeling (and the fact meat from hormone/antibiotic treated animals is not labeled as such) - and a lot of medical data coming out showing the drawbacks of the hormones, and the possibility of many of these antibiotic resistant virus's and bacteria being connected to overuse of antibiotics in livestock and poultry....
And we will end up like some of the European countries that can't even doctor a sick animal with antibiotics without a vet doing it :shock: ...

Remember our Government is not good at being proactive- they usually react- and when they do, they usually Overreact- just like they did on the horse slaughter issue....

 

[Mrs.Greg]

I'd like the answer to What are the advantages to the cattle to add growth hormones to them?

Some argue it helps speed up growth- adds weight to calves and helps them finish out faster....Something along those lines...My own findings is its not worth the extra premium you can get for the "all natural"....

Personally- I think if the industry doesn't do something on its own- about cutting back/discontinuing antibiotic and hormone use - Congress will.....Some big push's going on right now about the labeling (and the fact meat from hormone/antibiotic treated animals is not labeled as such) - and a lot of medical data coming out showing the drawbacks of the hormones, and the possibility of many of these antibiotic resistant virus's and bacteria being connected to overuse of antibiotics in livestock and poultry....
And we will end up like some of the European countries that can't even doctor a sick animal with antibiotics without a vet doing it :shock: ...

Remember our Government is not good at being proactive- they usually react- and when they do, they usually Overreact- just like they did on the horse slaughter issue....

To me it looks to be that hormone implants are to the producers benefit and showing really no benefit to the animal.
Heres where my liberal side shows........Its just plain stupid not to grow a "natural" animal,no hormones no antibiotics.
The fact we're seeing girls as young as 7 showing puberty development proves growth hormones should be banned from all food!!!!!
Secondly,Porker posted a article this morning about antibiotic restisant Staph bacteria showing up in pork produce. Infections are getting stronger because of the use of antibiotics in these animals. Our countries shouldn't be fighting the EU they should be following it.
Remember people,our family,friends and on the rare occasions we all leave the place we're also eating this meat.

 

[Mike]

To me it looks to be that hormone implants are to the producers benefit and showing really no benefit to the animal.
Heres where my liberal side shows........Its just plain stupid not to grow a "natural" animal,no hormones no antibiotics.

Then stop castrating. Or do you not think that castrating is manipulating a calf's hormones?

Is castrating "natural"?

 

[Mrs.Greg]

To me it looks to be that hormone implants are to the producers benefit and showing really no benefit to the animal.
Heres where my liberal side shows........Its just plain stupid not to grow a "natural" animal,no hormones no antibiotics.

Then stop castrating. Or do you not think that castrating is manipulating a calf's hormones?

Is castrating "natural"?

Castrating an animal changes its own hormone level its not adding a foreign hormone.

 

[per]

Now that I find out that I am a liberal as well I'll pass my experience on. (liberals like to pontificate) We stopped implanting 15 years ago and started calving later and taking the calves around to grass as long yearlings or to fat. The implants aren't necessary for that program and the profit (my wife is an accountant and loves figuring out scenarios) went way up.

The bottom line is I don't really care if it is good or bad, my customers like it natural.

 

[Mike]

To me it looks to be that hormone implants are to the producers benefit and showing really no benefit to the animal.
Heres where my liberal side shows........Its just plain stupid not to grow a "natural" animal,no hormones no antibiotics.

Then stop castrating. Or do you not think that castrating is manipulating a calf's hormones?

Is castrating "natural"?

Castrating an animal changes its own hormone level its not adding a foreign hormone.

Castrating stops the production of testosterone and raises the estrogen production levels to "un-natural" heights compared to bulls. So in essence, you ARE adding a foreign hormone.

But most of the implanting of cattle today mostly just makes up for the loss of testosterone that comes from castratation.

If you wanted to get technical, the estrogen levels you spoke of that created early puberty in humans could be due to the excess estrogen production in steers.

By the way, soybeans have approximately 250 times the level of estrogens than beef, compared pound for pound.

 

[Mrs.Greg]

Then stop castrating. Or do you not think that castrating is manipulating a calf's hormones?

Is castrating "natural"?

Castrating an animal changes its own hormone level its not adding a foreign hormone.

Castrating stops the production of tesosterone and raises the estrogen production levels to "un-natural" heights compared to bulls. So in essence, you ARE adding a foreign hormone.

But most of the implanting of cattle today mostly just makes up for the loss of testosterone that comes from castratation.

If you wanted to get technical, the estrogen levels you spoke of that created early puberty in humans could be due to the excess estrogen production in steers.

By the way, soybeans have approximately 250 times the level of estrogens than beef, compared pound for pound.

I'm not discounting what your saying Mike but why add more hormones to beef then whats already there?
By the way Mike as you age your testosteone levels go down and your estrorgen levels go up,reverse happens in women{I call that poetic justice } its naturally occuring in your body,add the outside chemical to try balancing that out and see the difference from the natural your body produced at one time

 

[PORKER]

mrj QUOTE;"Hormone Free" is simply a marketing tool to get more money for beef that is really no better, which is fine if consumers understand that it simply is a 'feel good' thing, rather than a valid health issue.

MRJ , would you like to retract the above STATEMENT ?

 

[Red Robin]

When discussing hormones, do you anti hormone folks also include, Pg, fsh, gnrh and such ?

 

[mrj]

Porker, do you have the reports showing that when properly implanted and withdrawn, there is any difference in hormone levels from cattle that have no implants?

Are all implants "hormones"?

Are we allowed to have opinions on this site?

mrj

 

[PORKER]

NO ,but I suggest you reread all the above posts again as a hormone can be not in your best interest.

 

[mrj]

Porker, there is far more anecdotal than scientific evidence in those posts, and you know it!

mrj

 

[Mrs.Greg]

Porker, there is far more anecdotal than scientific evidence in those posts, and you know it!

mrj

Heres some scientific reading for you mrj


http://www.wisc.edu/fri/briefs/hormone.pdf

 

[RobertMac]

In my opinion, only one thing is certain here...scientist don't know all they think they know...particularly about food and nutrition.
Hormones are very powerful substances, even in small quantities. I don't think man is smart enough to be playing God with these substances.
Before we put it in stone that hormones are the cause of early puberty, maybe we should look else where. Glucose is the fuel for metabolism...refined sugars have been the fat substitute to make manufactured foods taste good to us consumers. Today, the amount of sugar in the average diet is about 100 times what it was in the early 1900s and before. Now I'm sure most are thinking...what does this have to do with early puberty???
A high level of glucose means your bodies metabolism systems are working at an accelerated rate...evidenced by the increased rate of diabetes and increase rate of type two diabetes in children. The increase in obesity is the result of your body trying to regulate the high glucose levels by having your liver convert in to triglycerides and store it in fat tissue. If your metabolism systems are accelerated, wouldn't be logical to assume that children would reach puberty sooner?

Look at packaged foods...almost all of it contains 'high fructose corn syrup.
Want to be health...eat food the way God made it!!!!!

 

[Anonymous]

EU Says WTO Meat Hormone Decision Won't Affect Stance



6:10 AM, April 1, 2008

Dow Jones & Company, Inc.

Agriculture Online



BRUSSELS (Dow Jones)--The European Commission won't change its ban on beef

treated with certain hormones, despite a decision by the World Trade

Organization this week saying the law violated international trade rules, a

commission spokesman said Tuesday.



A panel of the WTO Monday sided with the U.S. and Canada in a long-running

dispute over whether eating hormone-treated meat poses a health risk. The WTO

panel said the E.U. hadn't presented enough scientific evidence to justify its

ban.



"The WTO. decision of yesterday is not going to affect our internal rules and

procedures on hormones," said Peter Power, the commission's trade spokesman.



U.S. and Canadian livestock producers routinely administer hormones to cattle

to make them bigger - and are prevented from exporting their product to the

E.U. because of the ban.



The WTO.'s decision allows the U.S. and Canada to keep sanctions on E.U.

imports worth about $125 million annually. The sanctions, established in

retaliation against the E.U. ban, apply to a wide range of agriculture-based

products, including cheese, chocolate, truffles and onions.



-By Matthew Dalton, Dow Jones Newswires

agriculture.com