In this Article:
01: What is the CMA Veterinary Market Investigation?02: What are the initial findings of CMA investigation?03: What do the findings mean for pet owners & Pharmacy2U?04: When will the results come into effect?What is the CMA Veterinary Market Investigation?
The CMA Veterinary Market Investigation was launched because of concerns about transparency, ownership, and pricing in the UK veterinary market. As large veterinary groups have grown, the CMA had concerns about the effectiveness of competition in the market, a lack of transparency for pet owners, and customers potentially overpaying for services and medicines.
What are the initial findings of CMA investigation?
The initial findings of the investigation identified concerns about price transparency, comparison availability, high pet care plan and cremation costs, and a weak complaints system. It also noted that profits in certain areas of the market appeared significantly higher than would be expected if the market was functioning well.
The initial decision from the CMA has proposed 21 possible solutions, including the following:
Veterinary practices may have to publish clear and accessible pricing details for their treatments and services. They may also have to disclose information about their ownership.
Written prescription fees may receive a £16 cap. Practices may have to default to or make it easier to get written prescriptions for repeat medicines where appropriate.
For treatments likely to cost over £500, practices may have to provide detailed written estimates where possible upfront, to allow owners to make informed decisions.
Charges including diagnostics, services, and medications may need to be clearly itemised on bills.
Pet care plans may require plain English explanations of what’s included as well as clearer pricing.
Improvements to comparison availability (including via the ‘Find a Vet’ RCVS service) may be required to allow owners to compare prices and ownership easily.
To reduce confusion and distress at challenging times for owners, practices may need to present cremation options to allow owners make informed decisions.
The government should modernise the Veterinary Surgeons Act 1966 and update its regulations to reflect the role of veterinary businesses as well as individual vets.
What do the findings mean for pet owners & Pharmacy2U?
At Pharmacy2U Pet Health, we think that taking care of your pet’s health and wellbeing should be simple and affordable, which is why we started the Pet Health service in the first place. We’ve so far supported over 100,000 dedicated pet owners and counting, giving them fair choice and pricing, plus the convenience of deliveries straight to their door.
If the suggested improvements from the CMA’s investigation are upheld and implemented, it could make a big difference to pet owners, allowing them to shop online with pharmacies like us to get clear and fair pricing. The decision should hopefully lead to pet owners being more aware of the options available to them to provide the highest quality and best value care for their pets.
When will the results come into effect?
The provisional decision from the CMA is now live and anyone wanting to respond to the consultation has until 14 November 2025, with the final CMA decision expected around March 2026. When this final decision is published, the CMA will issue a legally binding order with a rollout that will be phased based on size of business.
You can find more information about the CMA’s Veterinary Market Investigation and read more here. To learn more about the CMA itself, visit the CMA website.
