The Federation of Independent Veterinary Practices (FIVP) has been working with independent practices in the UK to gather information and feed this back to the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) in response to its Provisional Decision Report, as published 15 October 2025.
FIVP would like to affirm its support for the CMA investigation into the veterinary sector. We are thankful that the Inquiry Group has worked with us, and it is clear that much of our evidence and many of our recommendations have been listened to.
The CMA team has the very difficult task of understanding the nuances of the veterinary industry and coming up with solutions that could help clients get better value. One of the most difficult areas would have been deciphering the various cross subsidies that exist between medicines fees, professional fees and out of hours services.
Many independent practices provide an efficient 24-hour service to pet owners with no government support, and their services are valued and sought after. The prices charged are fair and reasonable and profit levels are normal – and, in many practices, very low. CMA have found that prices in independent practices are also significantly lower than in large corporates.
Many of our members maintain that the current package of remedies will adversely affect those in independent practice and are concerned that the biggest impact of the CMA investigation could be increased overheads and charges, which are then passed on to the client.
As one respondent writes, ‘The CMA’s proposed remedies risk undermining both independent veterinary practices and animal welfare by focusing narrowly on medicine pricing and prescriptions — a move that, intentionally or not, unfairly advantages the large veterinary groups (LVGs)’.
We are concerned that, while the CMA’s remedies may deliver clients savings on long-term medicines, they will ultimately drive up fees for veterinary services.
As per these remedies, it is likely that our members will be issuing more prescriptions and reducing medicine costs to their clients. However, if the additional fees can not be defrayed across other areas, we believe there will be unintended consequences to animal welfare, practice staffing, and more.
The remedies risk increasing costs for veterinary services for clients and may drive them away from veterinary and nursing professionals who are best placed to serve client needs.
One of the driving forces for the CMA’s investigation has been fears of market consolidation. However, especially in its approach to prescriptions and online pharmacies, we are concerned that the CMA’s remedies could lead to further consolidation. We urge the CMA to carefully consider adjustments such as these to ensure that LVG-owned businesses are not unfairly advantaged.
We also recommend that remedies are delivered more slowly, to allow for incremental decision making and the building of IT infrastructure.
In its current format, the CMA’s package of remedies will not serve its purpose of balancing competition nor giving clients greater choice nor lower costs. The veterinary industry is far-reaching and complex, and decisions should not be taken lightly. FIVP believes that, with animal welfare at stake, it is vital that all recommendations are carefully examined and debated before being confirmed.
Rita Dingwall, Chair of FIVP, said: “Although we are in full support of the CMA’s investigation, we fear that some of these remedies may inadvertently impact independent veterinary practices – and the veterinary sector as a whole.
“We hope that the CMA Inquiry Group will carefully consider our response, and we look forward to speaking with them at our forthcoming hearing.”
We welcome further engagement with the CMA and hope that we can collaborate to create a package of remedies which will serve animals, pet owners, and the entire veterinary industry.
You can read FIVP’s full response here. You can also read the findings of FIVP’s ‘Impact Assessment’ here.
