Due to the financial position this country are in, the Business and Skills Ministers are doing what they can to promote businesses and skills training in the UK.

On the other hand, we have the cretins who run the Medicines and Healthcare agency, constantly introducing new regulations which drive people out of work. In the Herbal products marketplace several companies have already gone bust and many are hovering on the brink. The new regulations emanating from the EU will further increase this loss of jobs and important skills.

In recent years, due to crazy EU regulations, we have seen a huge reduction in companies that deal in essential oils for the cosmetics trades. Large companies have closed or relocated to India the USA and other places. All because regulations were accepted by Government departments without a second thought as to their effects on jobs. Big companies can't be bothered to fight the Eurocrates, they simply up sticks and move to places where the regulations are not enforced.

Herbal practitioners are giving up their businesses at a fast rate and many more will cease working at the trade if new regulations on practitioners come in. It should be pointed out here that many of these therapists currently work part time and earn just enough to stop them signing on as unemployed.

The Medicines and Healthcare agency have a large section of their staff and advisors who are University Professors and ex drug company employees. These people have a mind set of only understanding those organisations ways of doing things. They follow EU guidelines coming from undemocratic EU advisory committees to the letter. If these people ever give a second thought to what their activities are doing to UK small businesses is doubtful. After all, if you are a highly placed University professor what do they know about such matters. Most go from mums apron strings, to a good school, then to University where they live in the cloistered world of academia.

Although it is early days for this Government, they are still allowing the Civil Servants at the respective Ministries to continue ploughing on with the policies set in place during the last Government. We are having to accept one Ministry doing one thing, and another the very opposite. Net result vast waste of money, businesses, skills and jobs. I expect this crazy way of running a country applies to many other areas than herbal medicine.

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