The British Veterinary Union in Unite (BVU) has responded to an investigation into the cost of vet bills in the UK.

Following concerns that pet owners are being overcharged, the Competitions and Markets Authority (CMA) has put forward potential remedies to solve the crisis - but the BVU says a greater level of action is needed as it has submitted its responses before the CMA’s deadline for responses this evening.

Pet ownership in the UK has skyrocketed since the Covid pandemic, with 60 per cent of households now owning at least one pet. Meanwhile vet fees have soared, increasing at around twice the rate of inflation.

Large corporate employers (many private equity outfits) now own 60 per cent of the market, pet owners have reported being overcharged and facing a lack of choice, while the CMA is concerned that independent competitors may be pushed out of the market. Vets have said they have felt pressurised to meet financial targets and many have left the industry as a result.

A report by the BVU, released today (27 May) found 94 per cent of veterinary workers felt that cost was a barrier to pet owners seeking care for their pets, while 91 per cent of respondents felt that pet care had been compromised by inadequate staffing levels.

Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: "There is an acute crisis in the UK veterinary sector, driven by poor regulation, large private equity owned vet employers that prioritises profit over pet owners, animal care and their own staff.

"The CMA’s proposals are welcome, but far more is needed to adequately address the sector’s issues from vets having their pay squeezed, while some pet owners are no longer being able to afford veterinary care.”

Initial remedies put forward by the CMA, which are supported by the BVU, include:

  • Practice regulation
  • The creation of an independent veterinary ombudsman, where pet owners can raise complaints about practices and businesses.
  • Fixed maximum costs for written prescriptions for pets
  • A requirement for large veterinary groups to display the name of the parent company.

In addition to the remedies proposed by the CMA, the BVU is calling for the following:

  • Improvements to the Cascade system which prescribes medicine, to allow cost to be considered as a factor
  • Regulatory reform separating the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons into a more traditional Royal College and creating an independent regulatory body
  • Mandatory practice regulation, operated in a manner similar to the Care Quality Commission (CQC) in human healthcare, with sanctions for practices that fail to meet legislative requirements
  • These changes should be underpinned by a new Veterinary Surgeons Act.

BVU Branch chair Dr Suzanna Hudson-Cooke said: "The BVU welcomes the CMA's findings, but many of proposals need more clarity and detail. There is a risk they could increase the daily workload for veterinary workers who are often already expected to work unpaid overtime.”

“Improved regulation – specifically of practices and businesses – would tackle many of the issues the sector faces. Vets and pet owners deserve better and our message has always been clear: fair fees, fair pay and smaller profits.”

ENDS

Notes to editors 

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