§ Mr. MorleyTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what investigations she has conducted into evidence from research at Musgrove Park hospital, Taunton, that consumption of milk from cows treated with bovine724W somatotropin may increase the risk of tumours developing in humans. [21073]
§ Mr. BowisThis research shows that increased cell division can occur in isolated intestinal tissue directly treated with the growth factor IGF-1. This result is not unexpected. Treatment of cows with BST can cause slight rises in the concentrations of BST and IGF-1 in milk, but the rises are very small compared with the natural variations in levels. There is no convincing evidence to suggest that IGF-1 can cause cancer. The ability of IGF-1 to cause cell division was one of the considerations taken into account by United Kingdom and European Union expert committees in their thorough assessment of the safety of milk from BST-treated cows. They concluded that the levels of IGF-1 and of BST in such milk will have no adverse effect on the health of consumers.