"Paws, claws and market flaws: Walkies through the UK veterinary sector", a CBLP Seminar with Dr David Reader

Join Dr David Reader, Senior Lecturer in Competition Law at the University of Glasgow, for an in-depth discussion on the CMA’s inquiry into veterinary services for household pets.

There are few market investigations that have captured the public’s imagination quite like the Competition and Markets Authority’s (CMA) inquiry into veterinary services for household pets. After attracting over 56,000 responses from pet owners and industry participants during the initial review phase, the CMA Inquiry Group has proceeded to engage a wide variety of stakeholders, each with their own experiences and expectations of how the market is and should be functioning. The investigation has probed a number of market features suspected of contributing to adverse effects on competition – both on the supply and demand sides. From this, interesting debates have emerged within (and outwith) the profession, which is building to a crescendo moment, as the CMA looks to publish its final decision and remedies in Spring 2026.

This seminar, hosted by the Centre for Business Law and Practice, charts the research journey of an ongoing project into UK veterinary markets, which Dave has been undertaking with his co-investigator (Dr Scott Summers, UEA). It reflects on how the project came to fruition through an initial interest in merger activity (and enforcement) within the industry, and why recent growth-inspired changes to UK merger policy stand to place even more significance on the findings of the CMA’s investigation. The seminar will highlight some of the prevailing themes emerging from their engagement with stakeholder views, including pet owner vulnerability (especially regional variations), the implications of corporate consolidation and private equity involvement in the industry, and what the CMA’s investigation could spell for the future of the market.

Don’t miss this opportunity to gain expert perspectives on one of the most talked-about market investigations in recent years. 

This is a free event. Attendance is limited due to room capacity. To register, please click here.