text: Veterinarians have criticised EU rules on organic farming that demands that fish are treated with homoeopathic remedies. In line with EU regulations, the first line of treatment for organic fish should be 'substances from plants, animals or minerals in a homeopathic dilution', before . British and Norwegian vets have called the directives 'scientifically illiterate', saying that the use of homeopathy could lead to 'serious animal health and welfare detriment.' 'Risk': Under EU regulations, organic farmers must first use 'substances from plants, animals or minerals in a homeopathic dilution' to treat ill fish, which has been criticised by British and Norwegian vets (stock image) The directives, outlined in the 2009 European regulation on organic aquaculture, are set to be brought into national law in non-EU Norway, which has caused vets to see red. Section 7 of the regulations calls for organic farmers to use 'substances from plants, animals or minerals in a homoeopathic dilution', as their first port of call when their fish are ill . After this, the 'veterinary treatments' section outlines that farmers may use  'plants and their extracts not having anaesthetic effects'. As well as the directive to use homeopathic treatments, organic fish farmers are only allowed to resort to mainstream medical treatments a maximum of twice per year, or their fish will lose its organic certification. This has been criticised by the  Norwegian Veterinary Association (NVA) as could mean that fish are not getting the correct treatment in time, causing them unnecessary suffering. Danger: British and Norwegian vets have called the EU directives on organic fish treatment 'scientifically illiterate', saying that the use of homeopathy could lead to 'serious animal health and welfare detriment' 'We think it's totally unacceptable from a scientific point of view because there's no scientific basis for using homeopathy,' Ellef Blakstad, the head of the Norwegian Veterinary Association, told The Local.no. 'If you start using homeopathy, you prolong the time when the animals are not getting adequate treatment and that's a threat to animal welfare.' Harsh: Farmers are only allowed to use mainstream medical treatments a twice per year, or their fish will lose its organic certification (stock image) The criticism from Norway has been echoed by the British Veterinary Association, saying use of homeopathy could lead to 'serious animal health and welfare detriment.' The British Veterinary Association (BVA) cannot endorse the use of homeopathic remedies, or indeed any products, making therapeutic claims, which have no proven efficacy,' British Veterinary Association President John Blackwell told MailOnline. 'As with any treatment for disease using medicines, BVA believes that veterinary medicinal products must be evidence-based, with any medicinal claims made by a manufacturer supported. 'If homeopathic remedies are used without proven effectiveness on farmed fish across the EU, including the UK, the consequence could be serious animal health and welfare detriment, which would be counterproductive to both animal health and to the farmed fish industry in the UK.' Homepathic treatments are based on the principle that 'like cures like', whereby a highly diluted substance that causes the symptoms  in a healthy person, can also cure similar symptoms in a sick person. A 2010 House of Commons Science and Technology Committee report on homeopathy said that homeopathic remedies perform no better than placebos, and that the principles on which homeopathy is based are 'scientifically implausible'.
target: Norwegian vets criticise EU regulations on treatment of organic fish .
  First line of treatment for organic fish should be homeopathic remedy .
  Vets call directives 'scientifically illiterate', saying it delays real care .
  British vets say use of homeopathy could lead to serious health detriment .