The world according to Monsanto : pollution, corruption, and

92 the world according to monsantowhich can leave residues in the milk. So it’s all very serious. In addition, youhave to understand that the transgenic hormone upsets the cow’s natural cycle.Normally, a cow produces somatotropin after calving, which enables itto feed its calf. As the calf grows, the secretion of the hormone slows and finallystops. To restart milk production, the cow therefore has to have anothercalf. rBGH makes it possible to artificially maintain milk productionbeyond the natural cycle. This is why it can create reproductive problems forthe cow, and thus cause financial loss to the breeder. When I saw that allthese data were lacking, I asked Monsanto to go back to the drawing board,which took two to three years, because for the study to be valid, it had to followchanges in cows through at least three cycles.”“And what were the results of the new studies?”“First, I have to say they were of very poor scientific quality. For example,if you want to measure the impact of the transgenic hormone on mastitis,you have to select in each herd a group treated with the hormone and an untreatedcontrol group raised in strictly identical conditions. But Monsantohad dispersed the treated and untreated cows among different experimentalsites and subsequently mixed all the results together. I was once againforced to make adjustments. I also remember an unannounced visit I madeto one of their laboratories that was supposed to be analyzing the effect ofthe hormone on cows’ tissues and organs: I discovered that kidneys had disappeared.In spite of all these technical defects, it came out clearly from thestudies that the frequency of mastitis was much higher.”“Did you inform your superiors at the FDA?”“Yes, and at first they reacted properly.”In fact, a document dated March 4, 1988, attests that Richard P. Lehmann,director of the Office of New Animal Drug Evaluation at the CVM,conveyed Burroughs’s concerns to Terrence Harvey of Monsanto:* “Wehave completed our review and find your application incomplete. The dataare incomplete and lack full reports of adequate tests. ...You have notclearly identified the incidence of clinical and subclinical mastitis in theherds tested....You should clarify your regimen of treatment for mastitis....You should address the use of gentamicin and tetracycline whichare not approved for the treatment of mastitis in dairy cattle. ...You have*Harvey had spent his entire career at the FDA, where he headed the CVM, before moving to Monsantoas director of regulatory affairs.