§ Mr. Simon Hughesasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he has sanctioned the sale of milk products derived from the milk of cows which have been treated with the hormone bovine somatotropin.
§ Mr. Donald ThompsonCurrently, field trials of bovine somatotropin are in progress authorised by animal test certificates granted under the Medicines Act 1968 by my Department. Before such certificates were granted, we were satisfied as to the safety of the consumer of milk or other produce from treated animals, among a number of other matters laid down in the Medicines Act. These questions were thoroughly scrutinised by a committee of independent experts as well as by my officials. No doubts on this score were thrown up at any stage in the course of this scrutiny. Had such doubts been revealed, the certificates for the animal tests would not have been granted in the first place. Thus there has never been any reason for milk from treated cows or products derived from it to be withheld from sale.