27 Jan
With the business regulator announcing change at the top, ongoing investigation set to be high on agenda at this week’s SPVS Congress in Birmingham.
A senior veterinary group leader has urged a business regulator to avoid “sinking the boat” when it delivers its verdict on the provision of companion animal services.
Legal experts believe the final recommendations of the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) investigation could be shaped by the sudden replacement of the body’s chairperson, despite officials insisting the probe is unaffected.
The issue is set to be high on the agenda at this week’s SPVS Congress in Birmingham (30 January to 1 February), where an entire stream has been dedicated to the ongoing investigation.
Speaking ahead of the event, SPVS board chairperson Pete Orpin admitted the change at the top of the authority had “prompted discussion” among the organisation’s members. He pledged a continued commitment to addressing the challenges arising from the inquiry, which is due to end this autumn, as he urged the CMA to take account of the sector’s specific circumstances.
He said: “A huge amount of work has been done by SPVS and all the other associations explaining the complexity of our market place and the need for nuanced solutions without unintended consequences.
“We need to encourage transparency and healthy competition while retaining the motivation, resources and skills within thriving practices. We need to nudge the tiller without sinking the boat.”
Mr Orpin’s comments were made in response to the 21 January announcement that Marcus Bokkerink, who had served as the CMA’s chairperson since 2022, was being replaced by former senior Amazon.com executive Doug Gurr on an interim basis.
The move followed recent talks with senior government ministers who have called for regulators, including the CMA to focus their efforts on promoting economic growth and removing the barriers which prevent it.
A CMA spokesperson said the group appointed to carry out the veterinary investigation was independent of the authority and would continue its work in line with previously announced schedules, which envisage final recommendations being released this autumn.
BVA president Elizabeth Mullineaux said time would tell what impact the switch has, but pledged the group would carry on working to ensure the inquiry was “well informed, the veterinary perspective is heard and that any recommendations do not negatively impact vet teams, clients or the welfare of the animals in their care”.
But while they agreed that the change was unlikely to affect the focus of the inquiry, competition law academics David Reader and Scott Summers – who are conducting their own analysis of the sector – suggested its final recommendations could be influenced by the prioritisation of growth.
They added: “It is conceivable the Inquiry Group would seek to avoid making recommendations that stand to conflict with any policy steer the CMA has received from the Government, although there are a myriad of potential collision points when it comes to promoting the interests of consumers, competition and growth.”
Meanwhile, animal campaigner Linda Joyce-Jones said she remained concerned about both the nature of the investigation and the CMA’s leadership. She added: “I can only hope a permanent chairperson is appointed quickly, as it’s clear the framework of the organisation isn’t fit for purpose.”
But, in the statement announcing his appointment, Mr Gurr insisted he wanted to deliver investment and growth “in a framework of effective competition and consumer protection”.