The head of a regulator’s investigation into the provision of veterinary services for household pets has insisted animal welfare will “underpin” any recommendations it makes for change.

The message was delivered by Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) inquiry group chairperson Martin Coleman as he addressed London Vet Show delegates this afternoon (15 November).

Despite broad support for the inquiry process, the CMA has been criticised in recent months for what some groups have seen as a lack of emphasis on animal welfare.

‘Pressured’ circumstances

But Mr Coleman told a packed BVA Congress session that he respected both the profession and the often “pressured and emotive” circumstances of its work.

He said: “We’re not just going to present a set of remedy proposals, take it or leave it.

“We will set out, as this process develops, how our thinking is developing, what the remedy options may be.

“We would encourage people to come to us and respond if they feel some of the things we’re thinking about may have unintended consequences for animals.

“We understand this is not just a market that should be looked at through a prism of buying and selling, as important as those things are. Underpinning it all is animal welfare.”

Midway point

The comments came roughly midway through the investigation process, which is due to deliver final recommendations in November next year.

Mr Coleman stressed: “Nothing we have seen or heard in our investigation so far has caused us to doubt the care and professionalism of the vast majority of veterinary professionals.

“The focus of our inquiry is not on that, but on how veterinary services for pets are bought and sold.”

Working papers

A series of working papers, setting out the panel’s current thinking, are expected to be published in the coming months, with provisional recommendations expected early next summer.

Mr Coleman stressed that veterinary groups and companies would be given the opportunity to comment on those recommendations.