Guide · UK
New CMA rules for UK vets: what pet owners need to know
After a two-year investigation, the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has set new rules for vet practices. Here’s what changes for you, when, and what you can do now.
The short answerVets will have to publish price lists, tell you who owns the practice, cap what they charge for a written prescription, give written estimates for treatment over £500, and follow a clear complaints process. The rules start between December 2026 and September 2027. Big groups go first.
What happened
The CMA investigated the vet market after concerns about rising prices and how little information pet owners get. It published its final decision in March 2026 and made the rules legally binding in the Veterinary Services Market Investigation Order 2026 on 22 September 2026.
The rules phase in over a year. Businesses with 15 or more practices (the large groups) have to comply first. Businesses with 14 or fewer practices get longer. Dates below are when each rule applies.
What changes for you
1. Price lists you can compare
Practices must publish prices for a standard list of common services, online and in the practice, for different types and sizes of pet. Booking confirmations must show the consultation price and link to the full list. Flea, tick and worming products, and pet care plans, get their own clear price information.
What to do: once the lists are up, compare a few practices near you before you book routine care such as vaccinations or neutering.
2. Knowing who owns your vet
Many local-looking practices belong to large groups. Practices that are part of a group must show the group’s name clearly on their website, signs and messages to you.
What to do: if it matters to you whether your vet is independent, ask now. You don’t have to wait for the signs.
3. Cheaper prescriptions, and buying medicines elsewhere
Vets must tell you, in each consultation where they prescribe a medicine, that you can have a written prescription and buy it elsewhere, such as an online pharmacy. The fee for a written prescription is capped at £21.40 for the first medicine and £12.70 for each extra one, including VAT. If a vet sells you an own-brand medicine, they must tell you the name of the standard product you could buy elsewhere.
What to do: for medicines your pet takes long term, ask for a written prescription and compare prices. The government’s register of online retailers lists approved online sellers.
4. Written estimates and itemised bills
When treatment is likely to cost £500 or more including VAT, the practice must give you a written estimate before you decide, unless it’s an emergency. If the cost is likely to go over by 20% or £500, whichever is lower, you get a new estimate. Bills must be itemised, with each medicine priced separately.
What to do: you can already ask for a written estimate and an itemised bill today. Keep them, because they’re useful if you’re comparing options or raising a complaint later.
5. Clear cremation choices
Practices must tell you all your options: individual or communal cremation through the practice, arranging it directly with a crematorium, or burial at home. They must offer a basic communal cremation, give prices in writing before you decide, and list extras separately.
What to do: it’s hard to compare options at a sad moment. If your pet is old or unwell, it can help to ask about prices early.
6. A proper complaints route
Every practice must publish its complaints process. If a complaint isn’t sorted informally within 10 working days, the practice must acknowledge it in writing within 5 more working days and send a full written reply within 8 weeks. If you’re still unhappy, you can ask for independent mediation, and the practice must take part.
What to do: put complaints in writing and keep copies of bills, estimates and records. They’re the evidence a mediator will look at.
What you can do today
- Ask for a written estimate before any big treatment, and an itemised bill after.
- Ask for a written prescription for long-term medicines and compare prices.
- Ask whether your practice is independent or part of a group.
- Keep every bill, estimate and vet record together, so you can compare and, if needed, complain with evidence.
Rules work best when you have the paperwork.
Comparing prices, checking an estimate against the bill, or making a complaint all depend on having your pet’s records and bills to hand, from every practice.
Common questions
When do the new CMA vet rules start?
The Order was made on 22 September 2026. Rules for pet owners phase in from December 2026 to September 2027. Groups with 15 or more practices go first.
How much can a vet charge for a written prescription?
Once the cap applies: no more than £21.40 for the first medicine and £12.70 for each extra one, including VAT. The cap is set until 31 March 2028, then rises with inflation each April.
Will my vet have to give me a written estimate?
Yes, for treatment likely to cost £500 or more including VAT, from June 2027 at large groups and September 2027 at smaller practices.
How do I find out if my vet is part of a big group?
From March 2027 the group name must be shown clearly. Until then, ask the practice.
Sources: CMA case page, and the CMA’s compliance guidance for large and small vet businesses. This guide is a plain-English summary, not legal advice. Check the Order for the exact rules.
