Vets should publish prices, competition watchdog says

Vets could be made to publish price lists and reveal if they are part of a larger vet group, following an investigation by the UK’s competition watchdog into the £6.3bn veterniary sector. The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) found that pet owners pay 16.6% more on average at practices owned by large vet groups than at independent vets. The regulator has been investigating whether a lack of competition in the sector has contributed to soaring prices.Wednesday’s findings from the CMA are provisional, with interested parties now having until next month to make submissions before a final decision is published next year. An earlier version of the report, published before the summer, found prices for treatments grew by 60% between 2015 and 2023, compared with inflation of 35% for other general services, according to CMA research.Other proposed fixes for the sector include price caps on medicines, prescriptions and other services like cremations, as well as a ban on bonuses linked to offering specific treatments.



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