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COST Action Launch: Revolutionising Animal Healthcare

24th October 2023

Medicinal Plants for Animal Health Care: Translating Tradition into Modern Veterinary Medicine (MedPlants4Vet)

Dr Maria Pigott, Head of Science and Quality at NatPro, the Trinity Centre for Natural Products Research, will represent Ireland on the Management Committee of the COST Action on Medicinal Plants for Animal Health Care: Translating Tradition into Modern Veterinary Medicine (MedPlants4Vet). This pivotal project started in October 2023 and over the next four years an interdisciplinary research network of experts from over 30 countries and rising will investigate the use of medicinal plants and herbal products for companion and farm animals.

There is a growing interest in herbal medicines to treat animal diseases and natural products to support animal health and welfare. Despite this demand, only a few registered herbal veterinary medicinal products are available on the European market and EU legislation is found to be insufficient in this area, in part due to the lack of accessible information about the use of herbal remedies in animals. The Action aims to collect and develop information to fill these knowledge gaps.

MedPlants4Vet is set to address this challenge through creating an inventory of historical, ethnoveterinary, pharmacological, clinical and recent and past regulatory data,  to prepare a basis for the laying down of future regulatory procedures on Herbal Veterinary Medicinal Products in Europe.

In essence, MedPlants4Vet offers an opportunity to re-examine and potentially enhance the way we approach animal healthcare in Europe, with recognition to traditional knowledge.

Anyone interested in more details or looking to contribute can reach out to Maria Pigott of NatPro, a member of the MedPlants4Vet Management Committee for Ireland. She can be contacted at mpigott@tcd.ie.

COST (European Cooperation in Science and Technology) is a funding agency for research and innovation networks. Our Actions help connect research initiatives across Europe and enable scientists to grow their ideas by sharing them with their peers. This boosts their research, career and innovation.