Oxytocin in milk: drug controller calls manufacturers’ meet

The meeting on February 22 will seek to address the continued misuse of the hormone by farmers and dairy owners despite a ban on its sale

The Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) has called a meeting of all oxytocin manufacturers in the country on February 22 to discuss measured to prevent misuse of the hormone by dairy farmers.

A hormone produced by the posterior pituitary gland in the brain, oxytocin has a role in labour and breastfeeding; that is why it is a common practice among dairy farmers to inject the hormone in milch cows to increase output. However exposure to animal oxytocin has several harmful effects in humans with children being particularly susceptible to problems like hearing imbalance and weak eyesight.

Reports have appeared time to time in various fora about misuse of oxytocin in the country by the farmers and dairy owners to extract milk from milch animals

In expectant mothers milk adulterated with oxytocin can cause their children to be born with deformities. Oxytocin also increases the risk of post partum haemorrhage. It could also lead to minor girls attaining early puberty. Oxytocin is also injected into vegetables to increase their size. Both uses in the dairy industry and in agriculture are illegal.

In its meeting notice issued on Monday, the Central Drugs and Standards Control Organisation wrote: “Reports have appeared time to time in various fora about misuse of oxytocin in the country by the farmers and dairy owners to extract milk from milch animals. Cases of illegal manufacture, import and sale of the drug and its misuse by the farmers or dairy owners have also been unearthed from time to time in different parts of the country.”

Soon after she took charge, women and child development minister Maneka Gandhi had flagged the issue in a letter to the then health minister Dr Harshvardhan. Soon after that drug controller general of India Dr G N Singh wrote in a letter to state drug controllers:  “Not only does this drug (oxytocin) make cows barren sooner, but also lowers the life span of the animal, thus causing economic loss to the owner in the long run. It is being widely used in the dairy industry despite there being a ban on its sale.”