Full text is on website
http://europa.eu.int/comm/dg24/health/sc/scah/out21_en.html
General conclusion
BST is used to increase milk yield, often in already high-producing cows.
BST administration causes substantially and very significantly poorer
welfare because of increased foot disorders, mastitis, reproductive
disorders and other production related diseases. These are problems which
would not occur if BST were not used and often results in unnecessary pain,
suffering and distress. If milk yields were achieved by other means which
resulted in the health disorders and other welfare problems described
above, these means would not be acceptable. The injection of BST and its
repetition every 14 days also causes localised swellings which are likely
to result in
discomfort and hence some poor welfare.
Recommendation
BST use causes a substantial increase in levels of foot problems and
mastitis and leads to injection site reactions in dairy cows. These
conditions, especially the first two, are painful and debilitating, leading
to significantly poorer welfare in the treated animals. Therefore from the
point of view of animal welfare, including health, the Scientific Committee
on Animal Health and Animal Welfare is of the opinion that BST should not
be used in dairy cows.
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