In the UK, the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) is currently investigating the ‘veterinary services for household pets’. While the final report is expected later this year, Martin Coleman of the CMA gave a short update during a panel discussion at the British Small Animal Veterinary Association (BSAVA) congress last month. He confirmed that the CMA ‘is seeking to determine how far competitive conditions are such that vets are properly compensated for their time, skills and investments and pet owners have a good range of choices at fair prices’.
He commended the constructive response from the various professional bodies and said he was pleased to note that ‘88% of consumers considered their vets focus on the highest standards of care’ for their pets. However, he recalled that the CMA's aim was to identify if veterinary businesses ‘are providing pet owners with a good choice of fairly priced services’.
He noted that the inquiry already seemed to be having an impact, as ‘more vet businesses are displaying pricing information on their websites’, and that professional bodies had already been taking steps. For example, a guide on Transparency and client choice guidance had been produced by the British Veterinary Association (BVA), a member of the UEVP.
Three areas were under particular consideration by the CMA, he added: the transparency of prices, the markup on medicines and effective regulation of the profession, including the potential delegation of certain acts to veterinary nurses.
The presentation was followed by a lively discussion with representatives of the (regulatory body) RCVS, the BVA and the BSAVA, on the cost of running a practice, the impact of corporates, the need for transparency and for a new Veterinary Act. UEVP president Volker Moser, who attended the session, complimented the panel and audience on their ‘constructive and respectful discussion.’
For more information, see the CMA investigation’s working papers and BVA’s responses, the joint response from various UK veterinary bodies on the CMA working papers, and the RCVS response.
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