The UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) published today its final report in its probe of veterinary services for pets. Attached are (i) the CMA’s press release; (ii) a summary of the final report; and (iii) an explainer for veterinary businesses. The full text of the final report is still to be published.

The final report confirms the CMA’s provisional finding of October last year that there are “significant and widespread problems” in the market for veterinary services for household pets compared to a situation in which the market was functioning properly (summary of final report, §33). The key problems are (i) lack of information for pet owners; (ii) barriers in the market; and (iii) an inadequate regulatory framework. For further details, see Van Bael & Bellis Life Sciences News & Insights of 15 October 2025.

In its final report, the CMA puts forward a broad range of remedies and recommendations to address the identified issues.

The reforms are far-reaching and include, among others, standard price lists for defined veterinary services and the most commonly sold pet parasiticide products, prescription fee caps, a price comparison website, and mandatory branding by the large groups to boost competition and drive prices down.

The CMA will prepare by 23 September 2026 an Order setting out the detail of the remedies and making them legally binding. Once the Order is in place, nearly all remedies will come into effect in the following three to 12 months. The time to comply will vary by remedy and size of veterinary business, with smaller businesses generally having  more time than larger businesses (see, timetable available here). Failure to comply can result in financial penalties.

As the CMA’s remedies are limited by its statutory powers, the CMA calls on the UK government to complement them with an urgent reform of the UK’s Veterinary Surgeons Act 1966 (VSA) (summary of final report, §93 and following). The UK government has already acted on this call.

As early as 27 January 2026, its Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs announced a plan to reform the VSA in response to the CMA’s provisional findings of October 2025. A public consultation on the reform is open until tomorrow.

The veterinary services sector is subject to scrutiny in a range of EU Member States, including the Netherlands. On 27 February 2026, the Swedish Competition Authority (Konkurrensverket) published a report on price transparency in the Swedish veterinary services market, identifying “major problems” with price transparency for non-prophylactic care.