Veterinary Leaders Warn Against Price Controls, Urge Focus on Workforce Crisis in CMA Probe

Regulators investigating the UK’s companion animal veterinary services are being urged to focus on resolving workforce shortages before considering the imposition of price controls. Major industry stakeholders like CVS Group, VetPartners, Linneaus, and IVC Evidensia have expressed this concern in their submissions to the CMA. They caution that implementing price regulations without first addressing the sector’s “recruitment and retention crisis” could be ineffective and worsen existing challenges.

VetPartners highlighted the need for the CMA to investigate the root causes of the workforce shortage, pointing out that this issue not only deters new market entrants but also drives up wages, which in turn increases costs for clients. Linneaus shared this view, emphasizing that any regulatory measures should account for the impact of the workforce crisis. Other competitors have called on the CMA to advocate for government intervention to address the critical shortage of veterinarians.

Some industry leaders also questioned the practicality of enforcing price controls. Pets at Home argued that such regulations for first opinion practices would be “unworkable,” due to the difficulty of keeping these controls up-to-date. Medivet urged the CMA to be cautious in focusing too much on pricing and to provide clearer reasoning for any actions.

There are also concerns about potential limits on charges for written prescriptions, with warnings that this could lead to higher costs in other areas. The consumer rights group Which? recognized the importance of transparency but warned of potential repercussions, such as price increases in non-regulated services.