Large corporate groups, concentrated local markets and lack of proper information may lead to weakened competition and pet owners being overcharged for their animals' medicine, the UK competition authority warns.
  • AutoTL;DRBEnglish
    3•7 months ago

    This is the best summary I could come up with:

    The UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) said it has concerns over a lack of transparency in the veterinarian industry, affecting both pet owners and vets alike.

    The competition authority said on Tuesday that it received over 56,000 responses from the industry and its clients during a survey conducted last September, suggesting that pet owners may be overpaying for medicines and not being given enough information about treatments.

    “As the legislation stands, it’s not fit for purpose and is failing both vet teams and clients,” said the British Veterinary Association (BVA) in a statement.

    Six major corporate groups, including CVS, IVC, Linnaeus, Medivet, Pets at Home, and VetPartners, own nearly 60% of vet practices in the UK.

    The UK’s competition authority said it has launched a large consultation ending on 11 April, to seek views from the sector and improve outcomes for consumers.

    “We’re pleased to see the CMA acknowledging the need for reform of the outdated Veterinary Surgeons Act and for regulation of vet practices, something we have been calling for," said the BVA in a statement.

    The original article contains 496 words, the summary contains 178 words. Saved 64%. I’m a bot and I’m open source!