We learnt this morning that changes will be made to the vet sector this year, including a £21 cap on prescriptions and a requirement for practices to publish “comprehensive” price lists.
In its report, the Competition and Markets Authority said “specific” issues had been found at six large vet practices, so we asked them for their reaction to the reforms…
Vets for Pets, which is part of Pets at Home, said it had been a “challenging time” for its teams, but it was pleased to hear the system would be modernised.
A spokesperson said it was the only large group whose average prices were not found to be higher than independent practices.
“Our network of over 600 practice owners are dedicated to providing the best quality and value pet care in the communities they serve,” they added.
“This has been a challenging time for dedicated veterinary teams who work tirelessly to provide care to the nation’s pets, but we’re pleased the process has identified the need to modernise the legislation and regulatory system underpinning the sector.”
CVS, which has hundreds of practices, said in a statement to investors that it thought some of the CMA reforms were not “fully justified”, but that it was “comfortable with them and believe they are workable”.
“We already comply with many remedies and are well advanced in complying with others, with price lists published on our practice websites in late 2025 and 117 CVS UK companion animal practices already jointly branded,” it added.
IVC Evidensia, which has more than 2,200 clinics, hospitals and out-of-hours site, said it welcomed the report and was focused on delivering “outstanding care for animals and excellent support for customers”.
Medivet, which has more than 350 clinics across the country, said it was pleased to see that many of its existing practices already aligned with the CMA’s findings.
“We further welcome the fact that the CMA’s analysis has found that Medivet does not generate excess profits. We look forward to focusing on delivering exceptional care to our patients,” a spokesperson added.
The British Veterinary Association, a national body that represents the veterinary profession and was not one of the six large vets named by the CMA, said the changes were a “really positive step” to increasing transparency, but it noted that vets have been dealing with higher costs in recent years.
The group’s president Dr Rob Williams said: ”Delivering highly skilled veterinary medicine is costly and whilst we recognise prices have risen sharply in recent years, this is due to a number of factors, including the higher costs all businesses are experiencing – and vet practices are not immune.”