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Progesterone in cows' milk

95 replies

PurpleMaman · 24/01/2009 19:52

Hi

I've come across some research which suggests that there are worrying levels of progesterone in cows milk, due to an increasing trend of milking cows during pregnancy. This trend has been linked to breast cancer and prostrate cancer (see links below). We've recently moved from formula & breast milk to cows milk for my 12 month old. I can't find any mention of this issue on the Department of Health's website, or NHS direct, or some of the charity cancer research websites (and I'm not convinced of the validity of the websites below). Does anyone know any more about this?

Thanks.

www.erieping.de/english.htm

www.eps1.comlink.ne.jp/~mayus/eng/

OP posts:
Are your children’s vaccines up to date?
FiveGoMadInDorset · 24/01/2009 22:13

Any cows with mastitis, the milk is thrown or fed to calves, it doesn;t enter the food chain. Whne the milk is collected it si tested and anything dodgy is chucked.

FiveGoMadInDorset · 24/01/2009 22:14

We are staying clear of ponies until either of them say they want to do it properly. Might nab a couple of orphan lambs if ther are any this year.

cazboldy · 24/01/2009 22:15

and the cows are usually given some anti biotics if necessary

FiveGoMadInDorset · 24/01/2009 22:15

Regarldess whther they are an organic her or a normal herd.

FairLadyRantALot · 24/01/2009 22:16

o.k..that is reasuuring
so do cows develope mastitis a lot or just rarely?

cazboldy · 24/01/2009 22:16

the ponies are my fault

I have a youngster, nearly ready to break in, a shetland that the littlies ride, (who is hopefully in foal ) and a pony for dd1 who I have corrupted

cazboldy · 24/01/2009 22:17

rarely

FairLadyRantALot · 24/01/2009 22:18

that is verry good news!

FiveGoMadInDorset · 24/01/2009 22:18

Rarely IMO.

I try to keep DD away from my sister who is the real horse nut, but every year we have the jousters (from Norfolk) who come down and his wife is constantly trying to sell me ponies.

cazboldy · 24/01/2009 22:19

oh wow - great fun!

zazen · 24/01/2009 22:42

Yes it was pre 2004 when all the Mad Cow Disease recommendations came in. Not that long ago really.

Now it is illegal to feed cows, blood, composted wastes from chicken coops, including feathers, spilled feed and feces, but you can still feed rendered matter from cows to pigs and chickens, and rendered pigs and chickens can be fed back to cows. So practices that involve using animal remains to make cattle feed are still allowed.

And because farmers aren't allowed to feed the cows blood and direct animal products anymore they feed them extracted and solvent Soya proteins in various forms, which can unbalance hormones, and ionophores, including monensin - an antibiotic, which though it increases milk production, changes the proportions of constituents of the milk.

Organic milk comes from cows fed organic vegetarian food, which does not contain chemicals such as monensin.

Our family does well on organic dairy products and meat also - perhaps organic might be a better milk for you to drink also OP.

Organic production is definitely better for the environment - water courses etc - to have organic swards with are naturally fertilised.
You can increase the productivity of a sward -by mixed grazing cattle and sheep together- by about 10% - without having to dump chemical fert on the land, and into runoff.

Time for change?

Leeza2 · 25/01/2009 00:12

The cattle I am concerned about only seem to eat grass, silage and potatoes. Though I guess I don't know what goes in the feed mixer..

And I have never seen the fields being sprayed with anything, just muck spreading & slurry. And there are sheep at some times of year.

Its the fact that sick and dead animals are left lying in the field that upsets me

cazboldy · 25/01/2009 09:53

that is definitely not on Leeza

Zazen..... do you not think that he nvz rules will help with he run off problems?

also some people do not want to mix graze cattle and sheep for disease reasons.

FairLadyRantALot · 25/01/2009 11:27

Leeza...erm, if there are dead animals being left lying in the field, than you definitely got to call the authorities....

Leeza2 · 25/01/2009 11:42

ok i will do next time it happens. when we speak to the farmer about it she just says things like " Oh I can do anything about it until Wednesday as my son and husband are away"

I guess if they are dead it cant hurt them but I get so concerned when they are ill, they might be suffering and surely they should be inside and getting care?

I really don't want to cause trouble for them. I'm aware that they have been farming this land for years, its a very hard life and we would not get to live in the middle of this lovely countryside if it wasn't for them.

I thought I was just a soft townie who didn't understand the harsh realities of modern farming.....

FairLadyRantALot · 25/01/2009 11:56

well, I would think that a large dead animal, left to rot inbetween other lifestock is a health and safety issue in itself, tbh!

zazen · 26/01/2009 15:44

Unfortunatley it's amazing how many animals die and are left rotting!

When there were headage payents (a payment per animal - or per 'head') made to farmers for stocking the hills with sheep for example, all the farmers had the maximum amount of sheep and they all grazed the hills down to nothing.

Lots of the sheep would die and their bones scattered the hills. The hills were in a very bad way also.

Now the EU has changed their policies and have stocking rate recommendations.
The new nitrogen fert rules may help now that they have extended the areas covered by it. But still it requires compliance!

cazboldy, why not finish off the grass with sheep? They don't actually have to be grazing together for mixed grazing? That way you reduce the crossover risk. You can do it in strips if you've a limited area.

cazboldy · 26/01/2009 16:53

I am not "in the know" about hill sheep farmers, but I don't think leaving animals to rot would be something that any responsible farmer would do......

Leeza2 · 26/01/2009 18:59

Oh no, they are not left to rot But the sick or dying animals are left out in the field for a few days, even when the weather is bad. This is in a lowland area, near a village

zazen · 27/01/2009 02:08

I had the unfortunate pleasure of being in the know - as you put it - of hill sheep farmers, and also used to climb a lot of mountains also for fun
There sure were a lot of bones up there and the farmers were all going for the max headage on the same commonage.

They didn't bother to shear if the wool price was low either, so the scraggy sheep were overwintered on the hills also.

No so anymore as a result of my and others' research! We made recommendations for stocking rates for hill and marginal land and they were adopted by the EU.

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