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USDA

Senate

Agriculture
Chair: Blanche Lincoln (D-AR)
- Max Baucus (D-MT)
- Michael Bennet (D-CO)
- Sherrod Brown (D-OH)
- Bob Casey (D-PA)
- Kent Conrad (D-ND)
- Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY)
- Tom Harkin (D-IA)
- Amy Klobuchar (D-MN)
- Pat Leahy (D-VT)
- Ben Nelson (D-NE)
- Debbie Stabenow (D-MI)
- Saxby Chambliss (R-GA)
- Thad Cochran (R-MS)
- John Cornyn (R-TX)
- Chuck Grassley (R-IA)
- Mike Johanns (R-NE)
- Dick Lugar (R-IN)
- Mitch McConnell (R-KY)
- Pat Roberts (R-KS)
- John R. Thune (R-SD)

Appropriations
Chair: Daniel Inouye (D-HI)
Ag Sub-Committee
Chair: Herb Kohl (D-WI)
- Byron Dorgan (D-ND)
- Dick Durbin (D-IL)
- Dianne Feinstein (D-CA)
- Tom Harkin (D-IA)
- Tim Johnson (D-SD)
- Ben Nelson (D-NE)
- Jack Reed (D-RI)
- Robert Bennett (R-UT)
- Christopher Bond (R-MO)
- Sam Brownback (R-KS)
- Thad Cochran (R-MS)
- Mitch McConnell (R-KY)
- Arlen Specter (R-PA)

Health, Education, Labor, & Pensions
- Chris Dodd (D-CT)

Senate Hunger Caucus

House

Agriculture
Chair: B Collin Peterson (D-MN)
V. Chair: B Tim Holden (D-PA)
B Joe Baca (D-CA)
- John Boccieri (D-OH)
B* Leonard Boswell (D-IA)
- Bobby Bright (D-AL)
B* Dennis Cardoza (D-CA)
- Travis Childers (D-MS)
B Jim Costa (D-CA)
- Henry Cuellar (D-TX)
- Kathy Dahlkemper (D-PA)
B Brad Ellsworth (D-IN)
- Debbie Halvorson (D-IL)
B Stephanie Herseth Sandlin (D-SD)
- Steve Kagen (D-WI)
- Larry Kissell (D-NC)
B Frank Kratovil (D-MD)
- Betsy Markey (D-CO)
B Jim Marshall (D-GA)
P Eric Massa (D-NY)
B Mike McIntyre (D-NC)
- Walt Minnick (D-ID)
B Earl Pomeroy (D-ND)
- Mark Schauer (D-MI)
- Kurt Schrader (D-OR)
B David Scott (D-GA)
B Zachary Space (D-OH)
- Timothy Walz (D-MN)
- Frank Lucas (R-OK)
- Bill Cassidy (R-LA)
- K. Michael Conaway (R-TX)
- Jeff Fortenberry (R-NE)
- Virginia Foxx (R-NC)
- Bob Goodlatte (R-VA)
- Sam Graves (R-MO)
- Timothy Johnson (R-IL)
- Steve King (R-IA)
- Robert Latta (R-OH)
- Blaine Luetkemeyer (R-MO)
- Cynthia Lummis (R-WY)
- Jerry Moran (R-KS)
- Randy Neugebauer (R-TX)
- Phil Roe (R-TN)
- Mike Rogers (R-AL)
- Jean Schmidt (R-OH)
- Adrian Smith (R-NE)
- Glenn Thompson (R-PA)
*=House Organic Caucus member
B=Blue Dog Democrat

Appropriations
Chair: Dave Obey (D-WI)
Ag Sub-Committee
Chair: P Rosa DeLauro (D-CT)
- Sanford Bishop (D-GA)
* Allen Boyd (D-FL)
- Lincoln Davis (D-TN)
*P Sam Farr (D-CA)
*P Maurice D. Hinchey (D-NY)
P Jesse L. Jackson, Jr. (D-IL)
P Marcy Kaptur (D-OH)
- Jack Kingston (R-GA)
- Rodney Alexander (R-LA)
- Jo Ann Emerson (R-MO)
* Tom Latham (R-IA)
*=House Organic Caucus member

P=Congressional Progressive Caucus

Education and Labor
P Chair: George Miller (D-CA)
- Jason Altmire (D-PA)
- Robert Andrews (D-NJ)
- Timothy Bishop (D-NY)
P Yvette Clarke (D-NY)
- Joe Courtney (D-CT)
- Susan Davis (D-CA)
P Marcia Fudge (D-OH)
P Raul Grijalva (D-AZ)
P Phil Hare (D-IL)
- Ruben Hinojosa (D-TX)
P Mazie Hirono (D-HI)
- Rush Holt (D-NJ)
- Dale Kildee (D-MI)
P Dennis Kucinich (D-OH)
P Dave Loebsack (D-IA)
- Carolyn McCarthy (D-NY)
P Donald Payne (D-NJ)
- Jared Polis (D-CO)
- Robert Scott (D-VA)
- Joe Sestak (D-PA)
- Carol Shea-Porter (D-NH)
P John Tierney (D-MA)
- Dina Titus (D-NV)
- Paul Tonko (D-NY)
P Lynn Woolsey (D-CA)
- David Wu (D-OR)
- Buck McKeon (R-CA)
- Judy Biggert (R-IL)
- Rob Bishop (R-UT)
- Bill Cassidy (R-LA)
- Michael Castle (R-DE)
- Vernon Ehlers (R-MI)
- Luis F Fortuno (R-PR)
- Brett Guthrie (R-KY)
- Peter Hoekstra (R-MI)
- Duncan D. Hunter (R-CA)
- John Kline (R-MN)
- Kenny Marchant (R-TX)
- Tom McClintock (R-CA)
- Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA)
- Thomas Petri (R-WI)
- Phil Roe (R-TN)
- Todd Russell Platts (R-PA)
- Tom Price (R-GA)
- Mark Souder (R-IN)
- GT Thompson (R-PA)
- Joe Wilson (R-SC)
P=Congressional Progressive Caucus

House Organic Caucus
Congressional Progressive Caucus

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rbGH in the Media

by: Jill Richardson

Mon Feb 16, 2009 at 08:35:40 AM PST

Last week Yoplait announced its decision to go rbGH-free. This week, the papers are full of articles proclaiming the news. Here's what the ~~cat~~ Google alert dragged in this morning:

Consumer Demand, Not Safety, Led General Mills to Ditch rbGH - This article does not make the claim that rbGH is actually safe - it just says that General Mills did not take sides on the safety of the product. Its decision was based on marketing.

The article's author has her own opinion:

Are artificial hormones actually unsafe? I won't pretend to be qualified to answer that question. There are studies and scientists supporting both sides of the issue (though when it comes to possible but unproven cancer links, my personal instinct is to err on the side of caution).
However, regardless of whether or not the artificial hormones are potentially risky for humans, there is a general agreement that they're bad for cows. Cows taking the hormones get more udder infections - and when cows get sick, farmers give them antibiotics, "the residues of which also may end up in milk and dairy products," as the Center for Food Safety explains.
These residues can cause allergic reactions in sensitive individuals and contribute to the growth of antibiotic resistant bacteria, further undermining the efficacy of some antibiotics in fighting human infections.

To me, the whole thing sounds like a pretty bad idea. But it also seems pretty unlikely that the FDA will change its rules on rBGH any time soon. Instead, I predict we'll see more even more companies deciding, like GM, to cater to the common consumer perception that injecting cows with artificial hormones is, at the very least, kind of creepy.

More below...

Jill Richardson :: rbGH in the Media

An Iowa paper carried an op-ed ("You Are What You Eat With Cows, CAFOs") that was downright emphatic about how absolutely unacceptable CAFOs are on the whole - including their use of rbGH:

Well, you are what you eat. Healthwise, rBGH has been linked to colon, breast and prostate cancer, obesity and earlier onset of childhood puberty. Wal-Mart doesn't even carry milk with rBGH as their store brand, and countries like the EU, Japan, Australia and Canada already have banned it in total. We are behind on sustainability and have to destroy the means by which CAFOs actually operate. They are inhumane and unjust to every civilization that has ever come before us.

(I recommend reading the whole op-ed - it's short and very graphic about the lives these poor cows lead.)

Then there's the aspect of the story that the activists won (yay!). This article tells how Breast Cancer Action won the day on the Yoplait fight:

Since its creation in 2002, BCA's Think Before You Pink campaign has been urging consumers to scrutinize pink ribbon marketing, ask questions and to take action when necessary. This year the campaign focused on "pinkwashers", companies that claim to care about breast cancer by promoting sales-driven contributions, but manufacture products that are linked to the disease.
"Pinkwashing companies try to have it both ways," said Brenner. "If they care as deeply as they say they do about women's lives, they'll take their commitment to the next level, as General Mills now promises to do."

And then there are the articles that tell about the NEXT rbGH fights - schools and hospitals. One focuses on the major buying power of hospitals and their ability to influence food companies to change their products. And last, this one asks parents to consider what their kids are getting in their school lunch milk.

Tags: rBGH, Yoplait, General Mills, Breast Cancer Action, Biotechnology, (All Tags)

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rbGH in the Media | 6 comments

Great post (4.00 / 4)

Interesting read, thanks for tracking this kind of information!!!

I am SO glad that rBGH is banned in Canada. May it ever be so ...

by: eclecta @ Mon Feb 16, 2009 at 11:16:31 AM CST

by: you @ soon

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we're far too casual about hormones in the USA (4.00 / 3)

Look at all the women who got sick or even died from hormome replacement therapy - especially during the more experimental stages, but it's still happening. Look at all the stuff about fossil fuels and their products mimicking hormones in their effects on humans. (Bisphenol A is just one example). We just casually throw this stuff out there and say it's wonderful and then when it turns out not so wonderful, act as if no one could ever have possibly predicted such a thing, as if there had ever been any serious effort to even try.

Hormones are potent substances; we should always be aware of the potential for problems when we throw out of balance their presence (or that of their mimics) in an organism.

"If God were to appear to starving people, he would not dare to appear in any other form than food." - Mahatma Gandhi

by: Miep @ Mon Feb 16, 2009 at 12:35:47 PM CST

by: you @ soon

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my midwife has a lot of concerns (4.00 / 4)

about so many women being on hormone birth control methods for so many years of their lives. The evidence is mixed on that, but as a precaution she recommends non-hormone-based birth control.

by: desmoinesdem @ Mon Feb 16, 2009 at 13:21:26 PM CST

[ Parent ]

Interesting point (4.00 / 2)

I'm on birth control right now for migraine reasons. Obviously other methods could work for me to prevent pregnancy but the hormones in the pills seem to help with the headaches. Hate to think that it's actually a deal with the devil and less pain now might mean more pain and sickness later. Hope not.

"I can understand someone from Iowa promoting corn and soy, but we are not feeding the world, we are feeding animals and soft drink companies." - Jim Goodman

by: Jill Richardson @ Mon Feb 16, 2009 at 15:18:24 PM CST

[ Parent ]

that's a different situation in some ways (4.00 / 2)

because migraines are so debilitating, they steal so much time out of your life, and stress you out so much with the pain and the nausea; and treatment is so difficult.

The risk/benefit ratio is much, much different if taking hormones really helps you (and I had not heard of this before, interesting).

Estrogen is carcenogenic, and the more of it you're exposed to in your life the more so; but there are things you can do to buffer these risks. Example: getting some sun exposure reduces breast cancer risk (note the statistics on lower rates of some cancers in sun belts) and it may not just be the Vitamin D involved. Exercise reduces risk of so many sorts of cancers. And you're doing really well with the dietary angle, which is also quite important. These things are IMHO more important than things like mammograms, which are not entirely reliable; they miss some cancers and also have a certain incidence of false positives. It's certainly possible that cancer screening will improve over time, but all medical treatment has a certain risk level as well, and mistakes are made. So, I wouldn't go nuts worrying about this and going to the doctor more than you would otherwise, just try to do what you can to take care of yourself, and you'll be improving your odds of staying healthy, and hopefully this treatement will continue to help with your migraines as well. I've known people who had problems with this and it's often seemed to me to be one of the most underrated travails humans are subject to, and you have my deepest sympathy about this affliction.

"If God were to appear to starving people, he would not dare to appear in any other form than food." - Mahatma Gandhi

by: Miep @ Mon Feb 16, 2009 at 16:09:50 PM CST

[ Parent ]

Thanks Miep nt (4.00 / 1)

"I can understand someone from Iowa promoting corn and soy, but we are not feeding the world, we are feeding animals and soft drink companies." - Jim Goodman

by: Jill Richardson @ Mon Feb 16, 2009 at 16:11:48 PM CST

[ Parent ]