DaytonDailyNews.com

COLUMBUS — Groups representing the milk processing and organic industries have filed federal lawsuits against the Ohio Department of Agriculture, claiming its new milk labeling rule is the nation's most restrictive and undermines free speech and interstate commerce.

The lawsuits, filed Monday, June 30, in Columbus, lambasted the state agency for limiting what processors can say about dairy products that come from cows not given an artificial hormone called recombinant bovine somatotropin, or rbST.

The lawsuits were filed by the International Dairy Foods Association, whose members produce and market more than 85 percent of U.S. dairy products, and the Organic Trade Association. The trade association said the rule is so cumbersome that it could silence processors and marketers in making claims about whether artificial growth hormones have been used.

The rule took effect in May; processors have until September to implement it.

ODA spokeswoman Cindy Brown said the rule is "lawful and appropriate," and declined further comment.

Retailers such as Kroger and Wal-Mart have stopped using milk from cows given rbST for their store brands. Farmers use the hormone to increase milk output.

Bill Riley, general manager of Reiter Dairy in Springfield, said the rule prevents the processor from using its signature starburst claim by requiring that processors include a "lengthy" disclaimer that the Food and Drug Administration has found no significant difference between milk from rbST-treated and untreated cows.