Now EU forces farmers to use treatment that could plague our meat and make animals suffer
EU OFFICIALS are forcing British farmers to use wacky treatments that could leave animals suffering and plague our meat with dangerous levels of bacteria.
Jean-Claude Juncker is president of the European Commission, which made the decision
Farmers have an obligation to not allow their animals to suffer
Vets have warned against 'animal homeopathy', which could infect livestock with so much bacteria that their meat will not be fit for human consumption.
Diseased or pained animals could also suffer for far longer than necessary.
But it must be used by organic farmers as a first course of action under European Commission rules which came into force in January.
John Blackwell of the British Veterinary Association said: "We should always use medicines which have a strong science base.
"Homeopathic remedies are not underpinned by any strong science.
"Disease is painful and farmers have an obligation to reduce that pain and not allow their animals to suffer, so this regulation is worrying."
Vets are outraged by the decision
The practise has also been dismissed as "rubbish" by the government's chief medical officer, Sally Davies.
In 2007 the medical journal Lancet found that homeopathic treatments are no more effective than a sugar pill.
The Department of Food and Rural Affairs told the Telegraph that organic farmers could use other forms of treatment, such as antibiotics.
And if homeopathic remedies prove to be ineffective the farmers may not lose their 'organic' status.