EU to ban herbal medicines

[-:Undertaker:-]

http://www.minsterfm.com/news/review.php?article=358822
http://openeuropeblog.blogspot.com/2...on-herbal.html

Stop the ban on unlicensed herbal medicines - the call from a York MEP

York MEP Godfrey Bloom is demanding the Government opts out of an EU directive banning all herbal medicines manufactured by unlicensed practitioners.

The directive is due to come into force on May 1 in the UK unless the government sets up its own statutory regulation on alternative and complementary medicine. Godfrey Bloom said:

"In this country 5.8 million people rely on herbal medicines but the Government has still not made a decision on introducing statutory regulation.

"It is just not good enough that they have still not reached a decision, despite more than a decade of parliamentary consultation and debate," said Mr Bloom, UKIP Euro-MP.

"Millions of British people dependent on such remedies, some used for hundreds of years, are faced with the real possibility that they will no longer be able to access the products they rely on for their well-being.

"And on top of that tens of thousands of jobs in the thriving complementary medicine market are at risk.

"I am worried that this will turn out to be another example of the Government giving into the Brussels bureaucrats," said Mr Bloom.

"The UK-based Alliance for Natural Health (ANH) is taking legal action against the directive and they have my full support,".

The ANH estimates the cost of gaining a licence, which sets safety and quality standards similar to those required for pharmaceutical drugs, at between £80,000 and £120,000 per herb. For big market products, such as echinacea, that is manageable but many companies involved in the supply and sale of tradition herbal medicines are small and medium-sized companies, which cannot afford the cost of complying with the new legislation.

Godfrey Bloom said:

"A danger is that desperate consumers will turn to the internet where safety and quality cannot be assured," said Mr Bloom.

"I have personally been involved with a UK herbalist who has had to relocate to Guernsey so she can continue in business outside the EU.

"She sells herbal painkilling tea to a recipe brought to the Caribbean from Africa in the days of the slave trade, and used successfully ever since. I know someone who had it as post-operative pain-killer following a massive operation, and it worked like a dream, with no side-effects.

`'But she was jumped on for selling her tea as a painkiller because she was not allowed to say that unless she had spent abut half a million quid on testing it as though it were a pharmaceutical product,"

"This is the madness that becomes commonplace when the EU interferes".

Another attempt made by what is essentially part of our government to control almost every aspect of our lives/business - so much for the 'free market' the EU is supposed to be the champion of (say the mainstream politicians, their words not mine because I know otherwise). The EU is yet again playing along with big business to give them a bigger piece of the pie than they already have, of course this is to the disadvantage of people who use these medicines along with the industry which sells them.

And will our political class stand up to it? no.

Thoughts, should the EU keep its nose out/should the British government stand up for British interests?

[GommeInc]

The EU should keep their nose out. It's is and should be up to us to regulate different types of trade, not some bloated organisation. The EU is a dreadful zone in which to trade with. Kenya hate the EU, because they banned their flowers from entering the Eurozone, even though they are checked before and entering the EU countries. It's unnecessary and a waste of money for the EU to do special checks, but the EU has always been bad economically.

[Ajthedragon]

Damn EU, they should be promoting good things in the EU, not deciding what gets banned within those countries. Although I would prefer all herbal makers to have recognised licences.

[Catzsy]

Again the piece needs to be looked carefully. I feel the key part to this is:

York MEP Godfrey Bloom is demanding the Government opts out of an EU directive banning all herbal medicines manufactured by unlicensed practitioners.

Would you want to buy herbal medicine from any old tom. **** or harry?

[-:Undertaker:-]

Again the piece needs to be looked carefully. I feel the key part to this is:


Would you want to buy herbal medicine from any old tom. **** or harry?

Yeah, how did we manage for hundreds of years without the EU regulating herbal medicines? Next they'll [the 'parliament'] be regulating how curved a banana can be or deciding on the standardisation of tractor seats.. oh wait.

[GommeInc]

Again the piece needs to be looked carefully. I feel the key part to this is:

Would you want to buy herbal medicine from any old tom. **** or harry?

It's a non-problem that doesn't necessarily need fixing. Some people who are unlicensed may make amazing herbal remedies. Not everyone wants to enter into a bureacracy just to sell or make their own herbal remedies. It's kinda poking fun at the gypsies or indepedent manufacturers.

[Chippiewill]

Yeah, how did we manage for hundreds of years without the EU regulating herbal medicines? Next they'll [the 'parliament'] be regulating how curved a banana can be or deciding on the standardisation of tractor seats.. oh wait.

I'm not going to lie, that's:

a) Seriously messed up.
b) Incredibly funny.

[Ajthedragon]

Yeah, how did we manage for hundreds of years without the EU regulating herbal medicines? Next they'll [the 'parliament'] be regulating how curved a banana can be or deciding on the standardisation of tractor seats.. oh wait.

That is quite hilarious. Silly EU.

[ifuseekamy]

The Queen should tell them to stop meddling in her country's affairs, it'd be like British government enforcing regulations in Canada or Australia because we own them, something the EU can't say for us.

[Catzsy]

Yeah, how did we manage for hundreds of years without the EU regulating herbal medicines? Next they'll [the 'parliament'] be regulating how curved a banana can be or deciding on the standardisation of tractor seats.. oh wait.

It's a non-problem that doesn't necessarily need fixing. Some people who are unlicensed may make amazing herbal remedies. Not everyone wants to enter into a bureacracy just to sell or make their own herbal remedies. It's kinda poking fun at the gypsies or indepedent manufacturers.

The majority of companies have known about this for a long time and have already applied and got their licenses. Would you go to an unregistered doctor or dentist? They are prescribing in exactly the same way without the benefit of the person's medical notes. Nothing is stopping people making their own but when it's for sale commercially yes I feel it should be registered.
The bananas was an absolute farce I agree.