Bovine Growth Hormone and the politics of uncertainty: Fear and loathing in a transitional agriculture

Bovine Growth Hormone has been beset by controversy since before its public introduction. The reasons for this are numerous but all rooted in the economic and policy uncertainty surrounding a transitional agriculture. The major sources of the controversy are outlined in this paper as the author explains how little of the ensuing discussion has been based on positive knowledge of either bGH or its likely farm impact. The paper, as a result, raises important questions about the implications of addressing agriculture policy changes in the highly emotionally charged context of present American agriculture. Copyright Kluwer Academic Publishers 1987