The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has ordered new rules to increase price transparency in veterinary care and to cap written prescription fees. The measures, which are expected to begin later this year, include a limit of £21 for the first prescribed medicine and £12.50 for each additional medicine when owners request a written prescription. The CMA also plans to launch a price comparison website to help pet owners find cheaper options.
The watchdog found vet prices rising at almost twice the rate of inflation and said the sector is worth more than £6.7 billion. About 60% of UK households own a pet, and the CMA reported that more than 70% of owners buy long-term medication from their vet even though many could save around £200 or more a year by purchasing online.
Under the reforms, practices must proactively tell owners they can request a written prescription, which allows them to shop around. Vets will have to publish comprehensive price lists covering standard services such as consultations, common procedures and cremation options. For any treatment expected to cost £500 or more, a written estimate including aftercare costs must be provided in advance and an itemised bill supplied afterwards. Emergency cases are exempt from the advance estimate requirement.
Businesses will also need to make clear whether they are independently owned or part of a larger corporate group. Price and ownership information will be added to the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons Find a Vet service and shared with third-party comparison sites to make local practice costs easier to compare.
The CMA said the package is intended to boost competition, help reduce costs for consumers and hold veterinary businesses to account. It also welcomed proposed reforms to veterinary law that would make organisations as well as individuals accountable to an independent regulator.
Veterinary bodies gave cautious support. The British Veterinary Association said the measures will help owners make more informed choices but warned that practices face rising running costs. The BVA president noted that advances in veterinary care have expanded treatment options and costs, and encouraged owners worried about affordability to discuss options with their vet.
Veterinary staff point to high operating expenses as a reason for prices. A senior clinician cited energy, staffing, equipment and drug costs as major pressures on practice finances. The CMA report included stark examples of price variation: one pet owner was quoted £1,600 in the UK to remove a benign tumour, while a vet in Italy quoted €160 (about £138) for the same procedure.
Overall, the reforms aim to make ownership, treatment options and prices clearer, give owners more ways to manage costs, and make it easier to compare local practices.