New research reports on the consequences of feeding commercial hemp to dairy cows
A new study published in the journal Nature describes how, despite the hemp product containing negligible levels of THC, the psychoactive ingredient in marijuana, researchers detected significant changes in the animals’ behavior and measurable levels of THC in their milk.
The primary objective of the research was to investigate whether feeding hemp to livestock was safe for both the animal and the resulting animal products harvested for human consumption.
In recent years, hemp cultivation has increased as the CBD oil market has grown rapidly, but farmers are often left with large volumes of hemp biomass after the cannabinoid compounds are extracted.
So can this leftover biomass be safely fed to livestock?
To explore this question, a team of researchers conducted several feeding experiments with lactating dairy cows. The animals’ daily feed ration was supplemented with hemp biomass of very low cannabinoid concentration (delta-9 THC concentrations of 0.12%, below the permitted limit of 0.2% established for commercial hemp).
From a behavioral point of view, the animals showed a number of remarkable changes after being fed hemp. Increased tongue movements, yawning, salivation, formation of nasal discharge, redness of the nictitating membrane that protects the eyes, and sleepy appearance. “Some animals showed a careful and occasionally unsteady gait.”
The researchers also reported that measurable levels of cannabinoids can be detected in the milk of cows after they have been fed hemp. These cannabinoids, in particular delta-9 THC, can be detected at levels that researchers suggest may affect humans. However, THC concentrations in milk dissipated quickly when hemp was removed from animal feed.
It’s unclear whether drinking the milk from these hemp-fed cows could cause psychoactive effects in humans, but the researchers are clear that the cannabinoid levels they detect could be a problem for children or lactating women.
This finding raises the possibility that hemp is added to the diet of some animals as a way to reduce stress. As long as there is a washout period that removes cannabinoids from the animal’s system, there can be significant benefits to adding hemp to livestock feed.
Speaking to The New York Times, the researchers said that when a cow spends more time “relaxing,” she may gain more weight. So if safe, cannabinoid-free feeding results can be established, getting the animals a little high might be better for both the cows and the farmers.
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