The Countryside Alliance has responded to the government’s proposals to reform the way in which the veterinary profession is governed and regulated.

The current arrangements date from the Veterinary Surgeons Act of 1966 and there have been growing calls, including from the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons, the British Veterinary Association and British Veterinary Nursing Association, for the law to be updated. The need for reform has been echoed by the Competition and Markets Authority, which published its final report into the provision of veterinary services for household pets on 24 March. It was also recognised in the government’s Animal Welfare Strategy, published last December.

In the last 60 years the veterinary profession has changed dramatically. In the 1960s, the work of veterinary surgeons was more focused on large animals. Nowadays most veterinary practices focus solely on small animals, with over half of UK adults owning a pet. Veterinary nursing has evolved from an informal support role into a regulated, professional discipline. The number and use of Allied Veterinary Professionals, such as veterinary technicians, equine dental technicians, cattle hoof trimmers and behaviourists, has also vastly increased.

Perhaps most significantly, in the 1960s veterinary practices had to be owned by a veterinary surgeon, but this law changed in 1999. Now approximately 60% of veterinary practices are owned by large corporate veterinary groups, yet the legislation regulates vets as individuals, not the veterinary businesses that now own most practices.

The ‘corporatisation’ of veterinary services has led to rising costs for pet owners and a concern that, on occasion, recommendations for treatment can be driven by commercial considerations, not simply clinical need.

The consultation focussed on modernising registration by moving to a ‘licence to practise’ system for the whole veterinary team, updating the fitness to practise processes to protect the public and animal health and welfare in line with other healthcare professions, regulating veterinary/animal healthcare businesses to safeguard both animals and consumers, and reforming the regulator to meet the government’s vision for the regulatory system and achieve specific objectives for the veterinary professions and sector.

The Government will now consider the responses and is expected to bring forward the necessary legislation when parliamentary time allows. Given the importance of updated regulation for vets and allied professionals, for animal welfare and for those who own animals, it is hoped that the government will act sooner rather than later. This is a huge task and given Defra’s limited resources and competing demands on parliamentary time, we hope that the government will focus on delivering these long overdue changes.