Vet prescription fees capped under rule changes

Image source, Getty Images By Mitchell Labiak , Business reporter and Jim Connolly , BBC News Investigations Published 1 hour ago Written prescription fees from vets will be capped at £21 as part of a raft of changes that practices will be legally required to bring in over the coming months.

Vets must also tell clients if cheaper medicine is available online, write price estimates ahead of treatment, and publish price lists for services as part of the rule updates.

The official competition watchdog has brought the measures into force after its investigation into the sector found prices had been rising at nearly twice the rate of inflation.

However, critics say the measures will hit independent vets hardest and will benefit the six firms that own more than two-thirds of practices.