The vet ‘price cap’ is now law: what the CMA Order means for your practice

The CMA’s final Order caps written prescription fees at £21 and sets deadlines for new pricing and transparency rules across UK practices.

The CMA’s reforms of the companion animal veterinary market are now legally binding. Its final Order, published on 22 September alongside undertakings from the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS), applies to every business operating first opinion practices. Animal charities providing small animal services are exempt.

Although widely reported as a ‘vet price cap’, the Order is better understood as a cap on prescription fees combined with a broad package of transparency requirements.

What the cap covers

Written prescription fees are capped at £21 for the first medicine in a consultation and £12.50 for each additional medicine in the same consultation. Both figures include VAT, apply UK-wide and will be updated annually in line with CPI. The final figures are higher than the flat £16 the CMA originally proposed.

Consultations, vaccinations, diagnostics, surgery and the price of medicines themselves are not controlled. The aim is to make it easier for owners to buy long-term medicines elsewhere. The CMA found that more than 70% of owners bought them from their vet, with prescription fees of £30 or more deterring many from comparing prices, and it estimates some could save £200 or more a year.

Vets must verbally offer a written prescription in every consultation where a medicine is prescribed, unless urgent administration is needed. It must be provided in hard copy by the end of the consultation or digitally within 48 hours. When prescribing an own-brand medicine, vets must tell the client that the reference product is available from third parties such as online pharmacies, and name it on labels and invoices.

Practices must publish a standard price list online, one click from the homepage and display it in the practice. It covers consultations, vaccinations, microchipping, dentals, neutering, imaging, euthanasia and cremation, among other services, with VAT-inclusive prices broken down by weight band. Prices for common flea, tick and worm products and pet care plans must also be published.

A written estimate is required where treatment is likely to cost £500 or more, with a written update if the expected cost rises by 20% or £500, whichever is lower. Clients must receive itemised bills. Practices also need a published complaints procedure with access to independent mediation, and groups must clearly display who owns each practice.

Deadlines

Businesses with 15 or more practices must publish price lists by 23 December 2026 and apply the prescription cap from March 2027, with estimates and itemised bills following in June 2027. Smaller practices have until March 2027 for price lists and September 2027 for the cap, the prescription offer, estimates and itemised bills.

Reaction

The BVA called the final remedies “more proportionate, workable and fairer” than the original proposals. BVA president Dr Rob Williams said many practices already meet requirements on estimates, complaints and written prescriptions, and that the Order offers a chance to standardise practice across the profession.

The Progressive Veterinary Association had tried to halt the process at the last minute over conflict of interest concerns. Critics also warn that the burden falls hardest on independents, while the six groups that own more than two-thirds of UK practices are better placed to absorb compliance costs.

What practices should do now

Practices should audit prescription and dispensing fees against the cap and model the effect on income, prepare their price lists in the required format, and update prescription, estimate and invoice templates. Reception teams will also need briefing on offering written prescriptions. The BVA has published guidance and videos to support preparation.