Vets should to publish prices, competition watchdog says

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Getty Images A stock image shows a female vet, wearing blue scrubs, whose face is not in shot, tying a bow around the neck of a cat which is sitting on a raised surface and wearing a neck cone Getty Images

Vets could be made to publish price lists and reveal if they are part of a larger vet group, following an investigation by the UK's competition watchdog into the £6.3bn veterniary sector.

The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) found that pet owners pay 16.6% more on average at practices owned by large vet groups than at independent vets.

The regulator has been investigating whether a lack of competition in the sector has contributed to soaring prices.

Wednesday's findings from the CMA are provisional, with interested parties now having until next month to make submissions before a final decision is published next year.

An earlier version of the report, published before the summer, found prices for treatments grew by 60% between 2015 and 2023, compared with inflation of 35% for other general services, according to CMA research.

Other proposed fixes for the sector include price caps on medicines, prescriptions and other services like cremations, as well as a ban on bonuses linked to offering specific treatments.

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