Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department has any evidence which shows that homeopathic vets are a risk to animal welfare by using homeopathy as an alternative treatment to pharmaceutical treatment options.

The Department does not have any evidence that shows that homeopathic vets are a risk to animal welfare by using homeopathy as an alternative treatment to conventional medicine options.

It should be noted that ‘conventional’ medicines are required to be licensed by the Veterinary Medicines Directorate. Such products will have undergone clinical trials before receiving a market authorisation – this covers efficacy, safety and an assessment of risks versus benefits. Some homeopathic remedies are registered under the Veterinary Medicines Regulations. However, this is a very different process and such products do not undergo the same detailed evaluation – notably efficacy is not considered.