The use of artificial growth hormones or hormones to increase lactation (RBST, BST, RGBH or any other artificial growth hormone) are illegal in Canada. They are legal in the United States, and much of the fear regarding hormones in milk is because we are often exposed to US media in Ontario.
No cow in Canada is allowed to be given these growth hormones and so no milk in Canada contains any of these hormones. The Canadian Dairy Farmers are one of the main lobbyists against allowing the use of growth hormones in Canada.
No white milk can be imported into Canada. Some flavoured milk (chocolate) may be, but Natrel does not import flavoured milks.
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Does milk contain antibiotics?
It is illegal to have antibiotics in milk in Canada.
Although the various Canadian organic trade associations have a philosophy that encourage organic farmers to limit the antibiotics given to cows, they also make provision for cases where the cow’s life is endangered, or when it would be inhumane not to treat the cows, for illnesses they may have, with antibiotics.
However, no milk in Canada contains antibiotics. Whether organic or non-organic, milk from a cow given antibiotics is discarded for a minimum of 2 days after the cow has finished its treatment. The amount of time a cow is taken out of the system, and the amount of antibiotic it is given is determined by a veterinarian, whether at an organic or non organic farm.
Milk is tested both at the farm on a selective basis, and again at the processor to ensure that no antibiotics are present in the milk.
Specifically, milk samples are taken at the farm on a regular basis and sent to the University of Guelph for evaluation and EVERY load of milk is tested again at Natrel, (or other processor) for antibiotics.
It is a very serious offense for a farmer to sell milk containing antibiotics. If Natrel detects antibiotics in a load of milk, the tanker is held and then Dairy Farmers of Ontario (the DFO) notified. The DFO tracks down the source of the antibiotic using a sophisticated tracking system that tells them exactly which farm the milk came from.
The DFO also instructs the processor where the contaminated milk can be safely disposed of. This milk never enters the human or animal food chains.
The Canadian Government and DFO would take any violation of the regulations regarding the purity of milk very seriously, and there would be a very serious penalty if any farmer, organic or not, violated the required guidelines. It is a serious offense to sell milk with antibiotics in Canada and the farmer could lose their license for doing so.
