§ Mr. SwayneTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what assessment his Department has made of(a) the potential side effects on consumers of milk and (b) the effect on milk output and price, of the use of bovine somatotrophin. [65658]
§ Mr. RookerBovine somatotrophin (BST) is a hormone produced naturally by all cows and is present in small quantities in all cows milk. Applications for authorisation of the product have been very carefully assessed by various expert committees in the UK and Europe and all agree that the applications meet the statutory criteria of safety, quality and efficacy. Safety includes the safety of the consumer. Its use in the EU is subject to a moratorium. If permitted, it would be subject to veterinary control.
The European Commission has reported that the productivity increase from the use of BST is estimated to be in the range of 5 per cent. to 20 per cent. However, 384W since EU milk production is constrained by quotas, it is unlikely that there would be any significant impact on either output or price.