Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he has considered a) regulating the cost of veterinary procedures, and b) requiring increased transparency around costs of veterinary procedures for pets.

The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) are finalising a market investigation into veterinary services for household pets. On 15 October, they released a Provisional Decision Report, which included proposed remedies such as increased transparency of veterinary fees, requiring vets to publish price lists, and a cap on the price of written veterinary prescriptions. The proposed remedies are subject to the CMA’s final report which is due to be released in the Spring.

Defra welcomes the CMA’s market investigation into the veterinary sector and will consider any remedies from the CMA’s final report.

Currently, businesses providing veterinary services are not regulated. Reforms to the Veterinary Surgeons Act (which are currently being consulted on) will bring in regulation of veterinary and other animal healthcare businesses and empower the regulator to ensure competition within the market.