Chief Judge William Griesbach of the US District Courts for the Eastern District of Wisconsin granted a preliminary injunction against Arla Foods rBST advertising and social media campaign in a ruling last week.

Arla Foods is prohibited from running the TV and social media ads until the case is heard and decided. The ads, which started running in April, depicts a child’s interpretation of milk boosting hormone rBST. The child sees rbST as a six-eyed monster with “razor-sharp horns” and electrified fur.

In his written decision Griesback noted that the Drug Administration recently reaffirmed that milk from cows treated with rBST is safe, and that there is no significant difference between milk from cows treated with rBST and those that aren’t. Suggesting otherwise only serves to disseminate misinformation to the public.

Elanco, who brought the suit against Arla Foods, was pleased with the decision. Eric Graves, president of Elanco, North America, said: “As the court points out in its ruling fear mongering does not benefit the public.”

No date has been set for the full hearing of the case.

US dairy farmers moving away from hormones

Preliminary injunction in the US against Arla Foods for ‘misleading’ ad campaign

A federal court in Wisconsin has granted Elanco’s motion for a nationwide preliminary injunction against Arla Foods for its “Live Unprocessed” ad campaign about hormone rbST.