The directive, passed last year and due to be written into national law of all member states by October, will result in fees for the registration of products, licences and inspections of manufacturers of the products.

The UK's Medicinces and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) released its plans yesterday to charge a standard registration fee for a herbal product containing 'existing' ingredients of £2250 (€3,355) if the product contains three or less ingredients.

Products containing more than three ingredients increases the fee to £3375.

The fees are significantly lower if the product has a previous product licence, but for those containing new herbal actives, fees can climb further to £4500.

New excipients and added vitamins or minerals also raise the registration fee.

For more information, and to make comments on these proposals, see the MHRA website .