RCVS confirms reduction in RVPP fees

The Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS) has announced a 15 percent reduction of its joining/re-registration fee for the inclusion of practice premises on the Register of Veterinary Practice Premises (RVPP).

For the coming year, the fee will drop from 40 pounds to 34 pounds, after the Veterinary Medicines Directorate (VMD) – on whose behalf the RCVS regulates the RVPP – agreed to the reduction.

Vets must be members of the register in order to legally supply animal health medications, meaning the reduced cost is likely to be welcomed by practitioners across the country.

Practice premises that do not pay their registration fees in any year are recorded as inactive, before their details are provided to the VMD for follow-up inquiries.

RCVS president Jacqui Molyneux said: "Now the register is well established and after careful calculation of the overheads involved in collecting these fees and maintaining the register, we have been able to justify a reduction in the RVPP fee."

Earlier this month, the body also announced that it has succeeded in convincing the Office of Fair Trading to drop a requirement for vets to display posters informing clients what the top ten medicines they supply are.