More than 100 dairy producers and employees in California came together to express their concerns about consumer confidence in the industry. The group took a tentative step toward organization while voicing their opinions on the marketing of rbST-free milk.

The recent announcement by dairy cooperative California Dairies Inc., that they would ask all members to sign an affidavit saying they no longer use the Monsanto product Posilac, the artificial recombinant bovine somatotrophin used to boost milk production, spurred many of the dairymen to speak out. One of their prime concerns was that if milk marketers could convince consumers the technology was unsafe, which dairy technology would be the next target.

Dr. Terry Atherton, dairy researcher and professor of animal science at Penn State University, spoke at the meeting and hit the producers with some cold, hard facts about the future of food biotechnology. Animal rights activists have a business agenda, he said, and they collect donations and spend millions to scare the public. He said the reality is that America has the world’s safest food supply. Etherton also pointed out that what activists say is not what the majority of consumers are saying about their food.