The Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority is evaluating an application by Elanco Animal Health to register a new product with a recombinant bovine somatotropin called sometribove zinc.

Speaking at a Dairy Australia breakfast last week Fonterra managing director Rene Dedoncker said the company did not support the introduction of RBST.

“Australia has a clean and green image and provenance of food is becoming important,” Mr Dedoncker said.

“We have international markets that rely on us being RBST free.”

Mr Dedoncker responded to a question from Australian Dairy Products Federation executive director Peter Stahle.

In a statement to The Weekly Times Fonterra said the position from a number of customers and Australian consumers was the use of added hormones to artificially increase a cow’s milk production was “not in step with community expectations.”

“Accordingly, we cannot support the introduction of rbst into our supply chain.”

RBSTs are used in several countries including the US Mexico, Brazil, India and Russia.

Countries that do not allow RBSTs include Canada, New Zealand, Japan, Israel and the EU.

Australian Dairy Farmers president Terry Richardson, said the process of approval must be allowed to run its course and dairy manufacturers must make decisions.

By: Lyndal Reading
Source: The Weekly Times