MEPs approve 2m for homeopathy research for livestock
An amendment to the EUs draft budget for a 2 million pilot research project into homeopathy and phytotherapy for farm animals was approved yesterday by the European Parliament’s Agriculture Committee.
Responding, BVA President Harvey Locke, said:
Millions of Euros have already been spent on trying to prove the scientific efficacy of homeopathic medicines. To date we have not seen any data to prove they can be effective in the treatment of bacterial infections.
Whilst it is unlikely that 2 million will be able to determine whether or not there is a basis for claiming homeopathic products can work, we welcome European investment in veterinary research and hope that the results of the pilot will be useful.
Draft amendment 5277 Calls upon the Commission to set up a pilot project to coordinate research on the use of homeopathy and phytotherapy in livestock farming, in line with the motion for a resolution on antibiotic resistance in which Parliament called for the use of antibiotics in livestock farming to be reduced and for alternative methods to be used; such methods include the use of homeopathy and phytotherapy; the pilot project should involve the collection of data as to what research projects in the field of homeopathy and phytotherapy have already been set up by the various Member States universities and higher education institutions, and what findings they have made; the pilot project should also investigate whether, and in what framework, the universities involved cooperate.
See page 35 of the list of amendments considered by the European Parliament AGRI Committee: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/meetdocs/2009_2014/documents/agri/dv/2012_agri_budg_amends_txt_/2012_agri_budg_amends_txt_en.pdf
The BVA position on homeopathic medicines states:
The BVA cannot endorse the use of homeopathic medicines, or indeed any medicine making therapeutic claims, which have no proven efficacy. As with any medicine, BVA believes that veterinary medicinal products must be evidence-based, with any medicinal claims made by a manufacturer supported.