EU promotes homeopathy research for livestock

EU funds homoeopathic research for livestock with two million euros

28/09/2011

The European Parliament has decided to promote homeopathic research in the field of veterinary medicine with around two million euros. The EU Agriculture Committee approved this sum. The supported research project will investigate whether livestock such as cattle, sheep and pigs benefit from the use of the homeopathic healing method. The money will be made available to finance a pilot project that coordinates research in the veterinary field across the EU and collects and analyzes scientific data from European universities.

With this decision, the European Parliament is reacting to the fact that so far there has been insufficient scientific research
Findings on homeopathy in veterinary medicine. „For the vast number of indications in different livestock species are so far hardly any study data“, said Dr. Sebastian Arlt from the Department of Veterinary Medicine of the Free University of Berlin. „Also is the
previous data overall - regardless of the indication - of relatively poor quality“, so Arlt. However, against the background of the EC Organic Organic Farming Regulation, high-quality study data are needed. For example, the implementing provisions of the EC Organic Regulation under article 24 on veterinary treatment: „Phytotherapeutic and homeopathic preparations (...) are to be used in preference to chemically synthesized allopathic veterinary medicinal products or antibiotics, provided that their therapeutic effect on the animal species and the disease to be treated is ensured.“

In practice, there are already examples of the successful use of homeopathic remedies in livestock: Peter Klocke is a veterinarian at the Research Institute of Organic Agriculture (FiBL) in the Swiss canton of Aargau and treated cows in large farms
Homeopathy. He conducted a study in an EU project to prevent homeostatic inflammation of the udder. The result: cows treated with homeopathic remedies were nine times better protected against inflammation than untreated ones. „With homoeopathic remedies, we were able to save up to 75 percent of the antibiotics used in traditional agriculture in case of mastitis and thus contribute to consumer protection“, so Klocke. However, this is not sufficient proof of the effectiveness of homeopathy. The EU funding is a first and important step to gain more knowledge to assess the possibilities of homeopathy in veterinary medicine. (DZVhÄ)

Picture credits: Joujou