Dairy trade groups sue over milk labeling rule

COLUMBUS (AP) — Two dairy industry trade groups filed lawsuits Monday over a new state rule that critics say restricts how consumers are informed about whether milk is made from cows that were given a synthetic hormone.

The labeling rule violates rights to free speech and impedes interstate commerce, according to the Organic Trade Association and the International Dairy Foods Association, which filed separate lawsuits in U.S. District Court in Columbus against the Ohio Department of Agriculture.

The issue involves cows treated with the growth hormone recombinant bovine somatotropin, or rbST.

The Ohio rule, adopted in May and scheduled to begin Sept. 19, says any dairy producer that advertises its milk as hormone-free must place a disclaimer next to the label that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has found no significant difference between milk coming from cows treated with the hormone and those that are not.