Vetstoria helps veterinary practices meet
the new CMA requirements
In March 2026, the UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) published an investigation into the veterinary services market for household pets. Beginning September 2026, new CMA requirements around pricing, ownership transparency, and client communications will be implemented across vet businesses.
We’ll make it easy for your online booking and website to meet the CMA’s requirements on pricing, ownership, and medicine disclosures. If you’re unsure whether your current setup is ready, here’s what you need to know—and how Vetstoria can help.
IMPORTANT: Vetstoria provides the website and booking infrastructure templates designed to accommodate the CMA’s pricing, ownership, and transparency requirements. There are more remedies listed in CMA’s final report. We recommend clinics review the full report, as Vetstoria is referring to remedies only related to booking and websites. Vetstoria strictly acts as a supportive system to assist clinics in evaluating their readiness and is not liable for any regulatory compliance issues or penalties. Clinics maintain sole responsibility for conducting their own due diligence, checking specific timetable thresholds, and verifying final regulatory alignment.
Why are the new veterinary CMA requirements important?
The CMA can impose penalties on non-compliant clinics, with the most significant being a financial penalty capped at 5% of the business’s annual turnover.
Other risks of non-compliance include:
- Pet owners can experience unexpected costs (or “bill shock”) when fees aren’t clearly communicated upfront or detailed in an itemised bill.
- Large veterinary groups (i.e., corporate groups) often struggle to roll out consistent information across many clinics and brands.
- When pricing isn’t visible, trust erodes, and it becomes more difficult for customers to compare treatment options.
Set transparent website pricing pages
- Dedicated, mobile-optimised pricing page featured within the site's main navigation.
- Display routine service pricing using standardised pet and weight categories.
- Incorporate cremation and other services directly into the pricing page.
Display pharmacy information clearly
- Dedicated pharmacy page to meet new medicines requirements.
- Show prices for commonly sold flea, tick, and worming products plus full product names, active ingredients, dosage details, and a prominent link to the VMD Register.
Explain care plans & additional services
- Dedicated care plan page to clearly present plan benefits and standalone service pricing.
- List parasiticide pricing, cancellation terms, and comparison information.
Communicate specific practice information
- Standardised website sections designed with a consistent and accessible format.
- Easily display out-of-hours provider details, staff qualifications, accreditations, Practice Standards Scheme information, and key consumer-facing information.
Get the CMA compliance checklist for veterinary websites
Prepare your practice for the CMA’s transparency requirements with our practical veterinary website compliance checklist.
Booking widget for clear pricing transparency
- Configure a consultation price for each appointment type (e.g., Vaccination Appointment set at £45).
- Once an appointment is booked, the confirmation email automatically includes a dedicated price transparency section.
Customisable confirmation emails
- Customise the wording of the pricing transparency section directly in Vetstoria's email template editor.
- Appointment type, tax labels, pricing details, and the full price list URL are automatically pulled.
- Connect pricing info to booking data for accuracy and compliance.
IMPORTANT: Vetstoria provides the website and booking infrastructure templates designed to accommodate the CMA’s pricing, ownership, and transparency requirements. There are more remedies listed in CMA’s final report. We recommend clinics review the full report, as Vetstoria is referring to remedies only related to booking and websites. Vetstoria strictly acts as a supportive system to assist clinics in evaluating their readiness and is not liable for any regulatory compliance issues or penalties. Clinics maintain sole responsibility for conducting their own due diligence, checking specific timetable thresholds, and verifying final regulatory alignment.
Frequently Asked Questions
The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) is the UK government regulator that ensures markets work fairly for consumers and businesses. After identifying concerns about pricing transparency, animal welfare, consumer protection, and information access in the veterinary sector, the CMA has introduced remedies to improve how clinics operate and communicate with pet owners. The Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS) will be monitoring these new requirements under the CMA’s directive and broader regulatory framework.
The remedies focus on price transparency, written prescription fee caps, consumer protections, treatment and referral transparency, the complaints process, and broader access to information across the veterinary industry.
Non-compliance can result in warning letters, mandatory corrective actions, civil court proceedings, financial penalties of up to 5% of annual turnover, reputational damage, and private legal claims from pet owners who suffer loss.
Yes. If a pet owner or third party suffers loss or damage as a result of a breach of a CMA Order or Undertaking, they can bring their own legal action against the business—separate from any action taken by the CMA itself.
Vetstoria Online Booking allows clinics to configure consultation prices for each appointment type, automatically displays pricing in booking confirmation emails, and includes a link to the clinic’s full price list.
Yes. Beginning in July 2026, clinics can customise the wording of the pricing transparency section in Vetstoria’s email template editor, while appointment type, tax labels, starting price details, and the price list URL are pulled automatically from the platform.
Vetstoria Websites displays Main Entity ownership details across headers, footers, homepage banners, and metadata, ensuring pet owners can find ownership information easily wherever they’re browsing on the site.
Yes. Pharmacy Pages include parasiticide pricing, dosage details, active ingredients, VMD retailer links, and Reference Product disclosures for own-brand medications—all formatted to support CMA medicine disclosure expectations. Please note that all details must be accurately submitted by your clinic.
Vetstoria only provides website updates for clinics that are existing Vetstoria Websites customers. Once you are a Vetstoria Websites customer, we’ll ensure the CMA pricing and ownership requirements are covered throughout your new website.
You can book a demo at Vetstoria.com to see how Vetstoria Online Booking and Vetstoria Websites help clinics like yours meet CMA requirements.
