TRADITIONAL HERBAL MEDICINAL PRODUCTS DIRECTIVE (No. 2)

Motion Text

That this House expresses its concern that the European Commission has adopted a proposal for a Directive on Traditional Herbal Medicinal Products, which fails to safeguard the future availability in the UK of safe herbal remedies, which are currently on sale, but exempt from licensing as medicines; notes that the proposed directive unreasonably requires 30 years' continuous medicinal usage to obtain a licence, unrealistically demands immediate compliance with technical requirements more suited to pharmaceuticals and excludes many safe and popular products; and calls on the Government to make vigorous efforts to secure amendments to the proposal so as to protect consumers' choice and the livelihood of many hundreds of health food retailers.