‘Catalyst’ hope for law change from CMA review

Findings from the CMA’s review of household pet services could act as a “catalyst” for long-sought reform of the veterinary sector’s legislative framework, a group of MPs has heard.

The claim was made by BVA senior vice-president Malcolm Morley during an EFRA select committee hearing on 12 March – only hours after the authority’s report was published.

The prospect of current legislation being reviewed externally has been widely welcomed within the professions after years of calls for action going largely unheeded.

Election manifestos

In recent weeks, the BVA has called on politicians to include commitments to reform of the Veterinary Surgeons Act in their manifestos for the next general election, expected later this year.

And Dr Morley told the committee it was “striking that you can hardly put a piece of paper” between his organisation and the RCVS on the subject.

He added: “I hope the CMA review might be the catalyst to achieve that.”

Ahead of the hearing, BVNA president Lyndsay Hughes said her organisation was “encouraged” by the authority’s interest in laws that she described as “unfit for purpose”.

She said: “Improved legislation will benefit the health and welfare of both pets and people.”

Lobbying

The college itself said it had been lobbying successive governments over two decades for change and its own working group was developing detailed plans for when Parliamentary time is made available to consider a new law.

And VMG chief Miles Russell said the college’s current Practice Standards Scheme provided a basis for future reform.

He said: “I’m sure the whole veterinary sector supports the CMA finding that its current regulatory framework is not fit for purpose.

“As part of the process of renewing it, we need all veterinary business to be registered and we should work together to define a set of core minimum standards that all practices must adhere to.”