Following our 9th May meeting with the RCVS we have at last opened much-needed discussions about the impact of their statement on members of the public and our holistic vets.

Given the RCVS position that there were two issues behind the changes - animal welfare and evidence - we went ready to discuss these and took a team that could do that as well as explain the concerns and views of all our varied supporters. We were very disappointed therefore that the RCVS representatives were unable in the meeting to provide the information we required in order to work with them to find a solution.

1. They [RCVS; ED] will provide us with documents demonstrating the evidence that led to their change in the statement in November 2017, and an indication of their preferred type of evidence.

This should clarify why they believe that there is no sound scientific evidence for homeopathy and explain the basis for the issues they have with the use of CAM. 2.

The RCVS have also agreed to clarify which CAM therapies are considered to be supported by sound scientific evidence and therefore excluded from the statement. Again, they were unable to confirm this in the meeting.

It was clear from the meeting that whilst they are currently closed to changing the statement, the RCVS are clearly also seeking some solution.

There is still a long way to go and negotiations will not be straightforward, as it all has to go back to committees and council. However they agree that new evidence could mean that they need to rethink.

The official stance was still to insist that there was no ban. However some exploration of the situation established very clearly that they do not approve the use of alternative treatments and this is in effect banned. They allege harm is caused by delaying conventional treatment for first line CAM therapies and they insist that animal welfare law and disciplinary processes can be used in these cases.

We meanwhile have work to do to raise public and professional awareness of the implications of this current situation alongside negotiating with the RCVS in order to reach an acceptable conclusion.

We hope to be able to provide our supporters with much clearer information regarding the statement over the coming weeks once we have received the agreed documentation from the RCVS.

Thank you all for your on-going support, and please keep raising awareness with your friends, family, therapists and vets. We need YOU to work with us to ensure everyone affected is aware of the personal and professional impact this has on the animals in our care by removing our choice to use alternative therapies and medicines.

We also need new team members who can give a little time or expertise to help the campaign. The core team needs help if you want to see things keep moving forward.

CAM4animals

Copyright 2018, British Association of Homeopathic Veterinary Surgeons