BSAVA invites the CMA to share their views at Congress in Manchester
13 February 2025
BSAVA has announced that it has invited the CMA to join a panel discussion and to share their views at its annual Congress event from 20-22 March. The session which is called CMA Review: Latest Update and What Can We Expect? will take place on Friday 21st March from 14.00-15.00 as part of BSAVA’s Big Issue series. Joining the panel will be Martin Coleman, Panel Chair and Panel Inquiry Chair of the CMA.
Dr Julian Hoad, President of the BSAVA comments:
“The CMA’s investigation into veterinary services for household pets has been ongoing for over a year. During this time the CMA has gathered extensive evidence about how the small animal veterinary sector operates currently. Their initial findings recognise that our sector has undergone significant changes over the past 10 to 15 years and they highlight much of what so many in our profession have witnessed over that period.
In particular, the CMA highlights the advancements in veterinary medicine and clinical practice; the extensive consolidation of the industry; the ongoing challenges around staff recruitment and retention; and not least, legislation that hasn’t kept pace with a rapidly changing sector landscape.
We are pleased to see the level of engagement between the CMA and a range of interested parties spanning the profession, veterinary businesses, pet owners and sector organisations, including BSAVA. Throughout that process, the CMA has been hugely impressed by the dedication and commitment to pet owners and their animals shown by individual vets and vet nurses. It is also heartening to see CMA acknowledgment of how important it is for pet owners to have trusted relationships with their vet and their evidence indicated that around 88% of pet owners surveyed agreed their vet focuses on the highest standard of care for their pet’s health.
As part of its approach to assessing its concerns and any resulting remedies, the CMA recognise that the interests of animal welfare and public health must be borne in mind and, that a well-functioning market comprises not just of commercial entities but that effective regulation of a sector is also needed if it is to best serve the public interest.
BSAVA has contributed to the CMA’s evolving and emerging views and we are committed to continuing to work with them to support their understanding of our sector. Integral to this, BSAVA will be giving oral evidence to the CMA at a formal hearing in March along with BVA, BVNA and FIVP.
We’re delighted that, in addition, to support the broader understanding of the complex challenges all parties across the stakeholder landscape are endeavouring to address, we have invited CMA to share their views as part of our discussions at BSAVA Congress in Manchester.”