Homeopathic Treatments for Livestock

How does OMRI review homeopathic treatments for livestock under the COR standards, and how does this differ from NOP review?

By Phoebe Judge

Homeopathy is a medical approach often used in biodynamic farming. Homeopathic treatments can be diluted botanical tinctures that producers use to treat symptoms ranging from skin problems to respiratory discomfort. Homeopathy and biodynamic production may be compatible with both USDA and Canadian organic production, and farms must meet organic standards before they can be certified Biodynamic. Due to this dual standards requirement, certifiers and producers regularly review homeopathic livestock treatments to determine whether they comply with organic requirements.

Under the Canadian organic standards, “Homeopathy and biotherapies” are included in Table 5.3 of the Permitted Substances Lists (PSL) at CAN/CGSB-32.311-2020. There are no annotations for these substances, meaning that they need no additional scrutiny beyond the requirements for all livestock inputs. All livestock inputs must meet the requirements at 1.4 and 1.5 of the CAN/CGSB-32.310, which include a prohibition against the use of genetic engineering, nanotechnology, irradiation, sewage sludge and cloning. 

OMRI reviews homeopathic livestock products for compliance by determining whether the substance meets the standards at CAN/CGSB-32.311-2020 5.1.2. This includes determining whether the product contains any ingredient derived from substrates or growth media, and whether the product is free from the methods and substances outlined at 1.4 and 1.5 of the Canadian management standards. If OMRI determines that the homeopathic product meets the same fundamental standards as all other livestock products, then the product is allowed for use in Canadian organic livestock production, according to practices described in CAN/CGSB-32.310 in Section 6. 

In contrast to the Canadian standards, the USDA organic standards do not include specific instructions on homeopathic products; therefore, all homeopathic treatments must meet the same health care standards described at §§205.105(a), (b), (e) and (g), and their use must comply with §205.238. No ingredient in the product may be produced from excluded methods (e.g., genetic engineering), and no synthetic ingredients may be included if the substance is not on the National List at §205.603(a), (b) or (f). 

The only prohibited nonsynthetic ingredient for a livestock health care product is strychnine at §205.604(a). A number of livestock homeopathic remedies include Nux vomica extract, which is the plant source of strychnine. OMRI reviews homeopathic livestock health care products to be used in USDA organic production by determining the synthetic/nonsynthetic status of the ingredients, and comparing the substances to the National List. OMRI reviews the manufacturing process of any Nux vomica extract to determine whether the extraction method produces strychnine. If the homeopathic product meets the ingredient review process, and OMRI determines that it is a compliant health care input, then it is allowed for use in organic production according to the production practices at §§205.237 and 205.238.

This article first appeared in the spring 2022 edition of the OMRI Materials Review newsletter, and was revised in October 2022 by Senior Technical Coordinator Phoebe Judge.