Conservative MEPs have condemned as "sheer madness" a proposal to spend a staggering €2 million on research into homeopathic medicines for farm animals.

 

Proposed funding for the costly pilot research project was approved today in an amendement to the EU's draft budget approved by the Euopean Parliament's Agriculture Committee.

 

The extra spending was backed by Socialists, Liberals and Christian Democrats on the committee.

 

But Richard Ashworth, Conservative MEP for the South East and spokesman on agriculture and rural affairs, labelled the scheme outrageous and an insult to taxpayers.

 

He said: "Spending such a huge sum of public money on something so marginal and left-field would be bad at the best of times.

 

"When we are in the middle of an economic crisis, when governments everywhere are taking severe austerity measures just to balance the books, to waste millions on highly questionable new-age remedies for cows and sheep is sheer madness."

 

Most vets are highly sceptical about the effectiveness of homeopathic remedies for livestock and earlier this year the British Veterinary Association issued a warning against them.

 

It said: "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."