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Science Environmental Science

Science and Social Context

The Regulation of Recombinant Bovine Growth Hormone in North America

by (author) Lisa N. Mills

Publisher
McGill-Queen's University Press
Initial publish date
May 2002
Category
Environmental Science, Philosophy & Social Aspects
  • Hardback

    ISBN
    9780773523746
    Publish Date
    May 2002
    List Price
    $125.00
  • Paperback / softback

    ISBN
    9780773523753
    Publish Date
    May 2002
    List Price
    $37.95
  • eBook

    ISBN
    9780773570276
    Publish Date
    May 2002
    List Price
    $95.00

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Description

She examines the decision-making processes at Monsanto that led to their making the drug available and discusses corporate, academic, and regulatory decision-making in the context of a restructured global political economy for agriculture. Mills shows that there was consensus about the scientific evidence but interpretation of that evidence differed depending on the context from which it was viewed. Scientists who analysed it for regulatory bodies interpreted it differently than scientists in corporate or academic institutions, and scientists in Canada and Europe interpreted it differently than those in the United States. In the United States it was assumed that any problems arising from its use could be taken care of within the existing dairy system; in Canada and Europe these problems were regarded as legitimate animal welfare issues. While all regulatory bodies agreed that human health problems were unlikely, in Canada the Health Protection Branch questioned this, but ultimately rejected the drug on animal health grounds.

About the author

Carleton University, Ottawa

Lisa N. Mills' profile page

Editorial Reviews

"A significant contribution to research. Mills' comparison with the U.S. helps relate Canadian studies to the literature. There are few studies in the literature that draw together these fields and levels of analysis." Christina Chociolko, Environmental Sciences, University of British Columbia "One of the major strengths of this book is that it provides accurate and detailed chronological detail about the regulatory decision-making processes for bGH in Canada and the U.S." Frederick Buttel, Rural Sociology, University of Wisconsin-Madison