Report reveals scale of CMA shift

A British Veterinary Association report reveals the scale at which the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) reexamined, reframed and ultimately extensively pared back its Final Orders during its two-and-a-half-year investigation.

Standing up for vets: How BVA shaped the outcome of the Competition and Markets Authority’s investigation into veterinary services for household pets shows that the CMA moved from 105 potential approaches to 28 proposed remedies and ultimately 18 final remedies, with several retained measures significantly amended or scaled back. The report also outlines BVA’s impact on the final result.

As an official ‘main party’ to the investigation, BVA had direct access to the CMA Inquiry Group, early access to information and proposals and crucially the opportunity to influence the CMA’s thinking. It brought together perspectives from across the whole profession, working closely with the British Small Animal Veterinary Association (BSAVA), the Society of Practising Veterinary Surgeons (SPVS), the British Veterinary Nursing Association (BVNA), the Veterinary Management Group (VMG) and The Federation of Independent Veterinary Practices (FIVP). 

BVA senior vice president Dr Rob Williams said: “Although the outcome of the CMA investigation isn’t perfect, this report shows just how far we were able to move the CMA from its initial thinking to a more proportionate set of measures – in short, the profession could have been facing significantly greater challenges. We achieved this by ensuring the CMA undertook its investigation with a full understanding of the complexities and nuances of delivering veterinary services in the UK today and the final outcome is the culmination of hours and hours of formal hearings, teach ins and roundtables with the CMA, alongside sixteen detailed consultation responses.

“I’m proud of what we have achieved and how, working in collaboration with our colleagues at BSAVA, SPVS, BVNA, VMG and FIVP, we secured a more balanced outcome for the profession. I want to thank our members specifically because without their ongoing commitment to BVA, this work would not have been possible.”