MedPlants4Vet at conference on "Challenges of Animal Health and Nutrition Regulations to Innovation"

On 4 July 2025, German and Swiss WG1 members met in Munich to present MedPlants4Vet at a conference hosted by Argenta, BPI, and EUFEPS, and to discuss the future of simplified market authorization for herbal veterinary medicines as a sustainable European unique selling point.

Presentation by MedPlants4Vet members on the subject: The future of simplified market authorization of Herbal Veterinary Medicinal Products - A chance to keep a sustainable European unique selling point alive. (Photos: Sandra Graf-Schiller, MedPlanst4Vet Member)

PD Dr. Michael Walkenhorst and Dr. Theresa Schlittenlacher presented the MedPlants4Vet network and its core aims. Referring to Preamble 12 of EU Regulation 2019/6, which states there is insufficient information on traditional herbal products used in animals, they emphasized that such knowledge goes back millennia. Animals use medicinal plants, and humans have long learned from them. Herbal applications in veterinary medicine have a strong tradition, with modern clinical studies on the rise.

Herbal veterinary medicinal products (HVMP) offer great, yet often underestimated, potential. They are sustainable, locally available, and biodegradable. HVMP are innovative tools rooted in tradition, showing increasing potential to reduce antimicrobial and xenobiotic use.

A simplified regulatory system is needed to legally allow herbal medicines for animals, encouraging enterprises to develop diverse, high-quality, safe, and sustainable HVMP in Europe. The goal is to find pragmatic solutions that balance safety with the opportunities herbal veterinary medicine provides.

A subsequent discussion with regulatory experts, industry leaders and innovators in the field of animal health and nutrition resulted in new inputs and collaborations for MedPlants4Vet.