On 24 March 2026, the Competition and Markets Authority published its final report into veterinary services — the most significant regulatory shake-up in the sector for 60 years. We’ve broken down what’s changing, what you need to do, and how MyPet’s platform will be there to support you.
The headlines have focused on pet owners and rising prices. But one thing that stood out to me is the confirmation that corporate groups — now owning over 60% of UK practices — are charging pet owners over 15% more on average than independents. That’s a powerful endorsement of the value independent practices deliver. At MyPet, we’re building a range of tools to help support your practice through these changes in 2026 and beyond.
What is the CMA requiring?
The CMA found a market not functioning well. Some of the key things that stood out for me:
- Over 60% of veterinary practices are now owned by a corporate entity
Prices had increased by over 60% since 2016, around double the rate of inflation.
- Over 80% of practices had no listed pricing on their websites.
What is the Timeline?
The timeline differs for Corporates V independents but we’ll focus on independents as all of our customers are independent practices. Here’s a breakdown:
UK Vets Sector — Timetable for Remedies
When the CMA expects each remedy to come into effect for large and small providers.
| Remedy | Sept 2026 | Dec 2026 | Mar 2027 | Jun 2027 | Sept 2027 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Transparency & Information | |||||
| OOH contracts | OOH providers | Write to FOPs | |||
| Basic information | Large providers | Small providers | |||
| Price lists | Large providers | Small providers | |||
| Parasiticides price list | Large providers | Small providers | |||
| Pet care plan | Large providers | Small providers | |||
| Written policies and processes | Large providers | Small providers | |||
| Cremations | Large providers | Small providers | |||
| Ownership | Large providers | Small providers | |||
| Complaints & Dispute Resolution | |||||
| In-house complaint process | All providers | ||||
| Mediation | All providers | ||||
| Prescriptions & Pricing | |||||
| Prescription price cap | Large providers | Small providers | |||
| Written estimates | Large providers | Small providers | |||
| Itemised bills | Large providers | Small providers | |||
| Prescription awareness | Large providers | Small providers | |||
| Written prescriptions | Large providers | Small providers | |||
| Own brand medicines | Large providers | Small providers | |||
| Ongoing medication information | Large providers | Small providers | |||
| Consumer Tools | |||||
| Find a Vet | All providers | ||||
The good news for Independent practices
It’s easy to read the negative headlines and feel burdened by new regulations. But look closer, and the CMA’s findings are actually a validation of everything that makes a good independent practice great.
Here are the highlights that matter for you:
- Independent practices charge over 15% less on average than corporate groups — the CMA has now put that on the public record.
- Around 40% of practices remain independently owned. That’s a smaller share of the market than a decade ago, but it means independent care is genuinely differentiated now — not the default.
- The new requirement to clearly disclose ownership means pet owners will finally know when a high-street-branded practice is actually part of a corporate chain. That transparency benefits you.
The practices that embrace these changes — that make their pricing easy to find, that make prescriptions accessible, and that invest in the digital tools modern pet owners expect — will build loyalty that the corporate groups cannot easily replicate.
How MyPet can Help
MyPet is building a range of tools to help Veterinary Teams adopt to these changes over the coming 12 months and we’d love to help as many Independent practices as possible. We’re starting with Prescription Management:
Prescription Management
Our new Prescription hub will allow you to to accept and manage repeat prescriptions easily for your customers. This will make your customers lives easier, and reduce the time your team are spending on prescription management.
Join us for a webinar on the 21st April to learn more
MyVet Prescription Management
First Look & Live Demo
See how our new tool saves your practice time on prescription admin.
Important: The CMA has announced their final recommendations. These changes will affect how your practice handles prescriptions. Read the announcement →
What we'll cover
- ✓ Accept prescription requests online — saving your team time and effort
- ✓ Approve prescription requests so your team can prepare them
- ✓ Automatic client notifications when prescriptions are ready to collect
- ✓ What's coming next — appointment booking, price lists & more
Register now — it's free
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