Biology Report
Hormone Growth Promotants in Meat

Implantation of HGP in meat- is a highly controversial issue not only in New Zealand but also around the world. There is also many myths and misconceptions surrounding added HPG’s in the meat that we consume. In this report I will be discussing the effects of HGP in meat, the opinions for and against this procedure and also my own personal stance and proposed societal action.

Hormones are certain chemicals that are naturally present in all organisms. These hormones are heavily involved in an organisms body functions and are essential for reproduction, development and growth. (a1) Hormones ability to stimulate growth is the reason that they are implanted in meat. These hormones are called …show more content…

The most common errors of implantation are:
Crushing the implant which will cause the pellets to release the hormones too quickly.
Injecting the pellet into the cartilage of the ear where there is no blood flow so no absorption. Similar result with implanting straight into the skin.
Severing a blood vessel will cause the absorption to be too rapid.
And lastly sanitation is important as unsterile needles will lead to infection.(B3)
The implantation method has been approved and the dosage of the hormones is at a safe level for the animal to process. Therefore the negative biological effects on the animal are minimal to none and are only caused by error in the method of implantation.

Biological effects on human health
This is the most pressing concern of HGPs in meat- the effect on the consumers health by eating meat that has been “pumped with hormones”. The only hormone ever proven to increase the risk of threatening diseases such as cancer was DSE used to fatten up poultry and cattle. However this was banned over 30 years ago now because it was thought to be a cancer-causing chemical.(B4) Since then the hormones that have been approved have been used without any negative affect on human health reported. In