What the CMA's Veterinary Market Report Actually Found

The Competition and Markets Authority published its final report into UK veterinary services on 24 March 2026. After two years of evidence-gathering, interviews with pet owners, and analysis of pricing data, the conclusion was blunt: the market is not working.

Three companies, thousands of practices

The investigation started from a simple observation. In 2013, the majority of UK vet practices were owner-operated. By 2024, three private equity-backed groups had acquired so many of them that independent ownership had become the exception rather than the rule.

CVS Group, IVC Evidensia, and VetPartners now control the majority of UK practices. In dozens of towns and cities, one of those three groups owns every practice within a reasonable distance. If you live in one of those areas and your vet quotes you an eye-watering price, you may have nowhere else to go.

The price transparency gap

Unlike dentists, opticians or even hairdressers, vets are not required to publish their prices. There is no standard price list, no obligation to give you a written estimate before treatment, and no easy way to compare what different practices charge for the same procedure.

The CMA found that this opacity is not accidental. Pet owners tend to discover what something costs after they have already agreed to it, often while sitting in a consulting room with a distressed animal. That is not a situation where most people feel able to say no, shop around, or ask for a discount.

What the CMA found on pricing

Corporate-owned practices charge more than independent ones for equivalent treatments. The CMA's analysis confirmed this across consultation fees, diagnostic tests, and prescription medication. The gap is not marginal.

Prescription drug markups were flagged as a particular problem. Some practices were charging more than 1,000% above the wholesale cost of a medication. To put that in context: a drug that costs the practice 50p per tablet was being sold to pet owners for £5 or more. Pet owners in the UK have had the legal right since 2012 to take a written prescription to an online pharmacy, but most did not know this.

What changes now

From September 2026, practices must publish standardised pricing for common treatments. Vets will be required to tell clients, proactively, that they can take written prescriptions elsewhere. And in areas where a single group has a dominant share of local practices, the CMA has proposed structural remedies that could include forced divestments.

VetPriceCheck is being built around this new data. When practices are required to publish prices, we will aggregate that information and make it searchable so you can compare before you book.