New CMA requirements for vets: what it is and how Vetstoria helps

In March 2026, the UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) published a market investigation into veterinary services for household pets. Beginning September 2026, new Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) requirements around pricing, ownership transparency, and client communications will roll out across veterinary businesses. Compliance will then be phased in over the following 3–12 months, but clinics should start preparing their websites, booking flows, and client communications processes to align with these new expectations so that the process is manageable (which the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons—or RCVS—will be monitoring).

With smaller practices expected to have additional time, and current CMA requirements suggesting businesses will likely have until early 2027 to fully comply. Please click here to view the UK Vet Sector Timetable for Remedies.

With Vetstoria’s 24/7 online booking, we’ll work with you to set up your booking confirmations to meet the new requirements on pricing, ownership, and medicines disclosures. You provide your prices and details—we build the page structure and lock the required fields into your confirmation emails. If you’re unsure whether your current setup is ready, here’s what you need to know and how Vetstoria can support you.

IMPORTANT: Vetstoria provides the 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. 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.

What is the new veterinary CMA regulation and why does this matter?

After closely reviewing the veterinary industry and various business models, the CMA has introduced a wide-ranging package of remedies designed to improve:

• Price transparency
• Consumer protections
• Treatment and referral transparency
• Complaints handling
• Access to information across the vet space

If RCVS or CMA identify that a clinic is non-compliant, the CMA may enforce punitive actions—with the most impactful being a financial penalty capped at an extremely high 5% of the business’s annual turnover.

Other risks for non-compliant veterinary businesses include:

• Pet owners can experience unexpected costs (or “bill shock”) when fees aren’t clearly communicated upfront.
• Corporate veterinary groups often struggle to roll out consistent information across dozens, sometimes hundreds, of clinics and brands.
• When pricing for routine veterinary services isn’t visible, trust erodes and it becomes far harder for owners to compare treatment options. This ultimately limits consumer choice.

In short, this means clinics must now make pricing and key business information much easier for pet owners to find—both in their online booking journey and across their websites.

How Vetstoria works with clinics to meet CMA’s remedies on pricing transparency

Vetstoria Online Booking

Meeting pricing transparency requirements doesn’t have to require overhauling your entire booking workflow. Vetstoria’s 24/7 online booking makes compliance straightforward: pricing displays, confirmation emails, and customisable templates all work together so clinics can stay aligned with new requirements.

1. Appointment pricing transparency

Clinics will need to configure a price for each appointment type directly within Vetstoria. For example, a Vaccination Appointment may be set at £45, while a First Consultation Appointment could be set at £60. Once an appointment is booked, the confirmation email automatically includes a dedicated section on price transparency.

2. New merge fields in email templates

From July 2026, clinics using Vetstoria Online Booking will be able to customise the wording of the pricing transparency section directly in Vetstoria’s email template editor at any time. Appointment type, tax labels, price details, and the full price list URL are pulled automatically from the booking platform, so the structure stays compliant while the language stays on-brand.

We’ll help your online booking platform become CMA ready

The CMA’s new requirements must be visible through customer communications, in-clinic signage, and the clinic website. The good news is that meeting some of these requirements doesn’t have to be complicated: Vetstoria Online Booking supports pricing, ownership, and medication transparency in your appointment confirmation emails.

More than supporting CMA compliance, you can consider Vetstoria an investment in your clinic’s growth. With 40% of veterinary appointments being booked out of hours, you’ll be able to secure more revenue and save time with 24/7 online booking.

Get a demo at Vetstoria.com to see how Vetstoria Online Booking can help your clinic with CMA compliance and sustainable, long-term growth.

IMPORTANT: Vetstoria provides the 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. 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.

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