Hormonal growth enhancers banned three decades ago in Europe after being linked to health risks including breast cancer, kidney disease and birth defects are still being used in Australia to fatten beef, a federal farm chemical survey reveals.
A few weeks ago the results from the recent National Residue Survey were brought up in Federal Parliament. The survey found high levels of synthetic hormones in the urine, faeces and livers of cattle, sheep and commercially farmed deer. The hormones used include testosterone, progesterone and other steroids known collectively as HGPs.
Now Coles is proposing to ban these hormone enriched meats from its national supermarket chain in response to rising consumer demand for organic produce. The phasing out began last month. Coles will become Australia’s first national food retailer to sell exclusively hormone-free beef in 2011.
These hormones improve the rate of food conversion in cattle, may be natural or synthetic and are implanted as a pellet under the skin of the ear of the animal. Livestock groups are not happy and they claim that there is no scientific evidence linking the use of growth hormones to health risks. Industry experts predict higher beef prices as more customers demand hormone-free meat, which makes up about half of all beef sold in Australia.
Sydney University Prof Ian Lean said, “This has the potential to be very damaging to the beef industry and its reputation.” Coles ambassador Curtis Stone however said in response, “The goal of the food industry should be to produce food as Mother Nature intended with as little additives as possible… As consumers, we have the power to make sure this happen.” Australian Cattle Council chief David Inall feels this move is needlessly frightening customers. CSIRO livestock industry chief Alan Bell added that HGPs were “very safe and backed by science”. “The problem is that the word ‘hormone’ is an emotive one,” Professor Bell said.
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