Beef Cattle Research Paper

Americans love their meat more specifically they love their beef. For instance, it is estimated that the average American eats three burgers per week with the nation tallying up to almost fifty million burgers a year (Rolfes 1). However, the cost of a burger is more than just the price of a Big Mack. Due to, the beef cattle industries’ use of growth hormones in their cattle your weekly burger can have some unfortunate and unseen side effects like cancer. In addition, to the possibility of cancer and other side effects in people, the hormones have some disastrous effects on the environment, and even on the cows themselves. Most would argue, growth hormones in beef cattle are safe due to the FDA, Food Drug Administration, testing and approving

For example, studies in Australia who allow the same hormones to be used in beef cattle as the U.S., have found that because the place of injection of the implant is the region below the ear, which has significant muscle movement, causes the injection wound to enlarge and become irritated (“What Are the Animal Welfare Impacts of Using Hormone Growth Promotants in Beef Cattle?” 5). Furthermore, hormonal implants interact with the cattle’s natural hormones and side effects of their use may include aggressiveness, difficulty in handling, nervousness, rectal prolapse, swelling, elevated tail heads and there has been evidence found of chronic stress conditions(“What Are the Animal Welfare Impacts of Using Hormone Growth Promotants in Beef Cattle?” 6). To sum up, the hormones negative effects on cattle should also be considered in reasons why they should be banned. Advocates of the use of growth hormones in beef cattle often argue that the hormones are completely safe because the FDA has done extensive testing to ensure that there would be no harmful effects on consumers. However, as previously stated, the EU has banned the purchase of any meat from the U.S. containing growth hormones due to their studies linking the hormones to cancer. In addition, the hormones have been linked to lower sperm count in males and premature development in girls ("Fact Sheet on Hazards of Hormone Implants or Injections in Beef” 3). So, the consumption of these hormones is not completely