Last updated 30 August 20262 min readVetsCompared Editorial Team
What you need to know
The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) is the UK competition regulator. After investigating veterinary services for household pets, it said practices should publish clearer information about pet care plans, including prices and what a plan includes. As of 30 August 2026 that requirement was not yet the law, because the later legal instrument needed to make it binding, called an Order, was still in draft. You can still ask a practice to show the price, inclusions, how often each service is provided, and the standalone price of each.
- The 24 March 2026 report set out the plan-transparency changes the CMA wants.
- Those duties need a later Order and the start dates set under it.
- The consultation on that draft closed on 20 August 2026.
- Ask what is excluded as well as what is included. That extra question is ours, not the CMA list.
What did the CMA decide?
The final report of 24 March 2026 is the document that set this out. The business explainer says relevant businesses will need to publish clear information about the plans they offer, including included services, how often they are provided, and the standalone price of each.
Does it apply yet?
Those duties start only after a later legal instrument, called an Order, is made, and from the start dates set under it. On 30 August 2026 that later Order was still a draft. The consultation on that draft closed on 20 August 2026. The case page is the dated record.
The explainer still listed intended start dates of December 2026 for many larger-business transparency duties and March 2027 for smaller businesses. Those were provisional dates, not dates already in force.
What you can ask for today
You can ask the practice now for the four details the CMA named: the plan price, the included services, how often each is provided, and the standalone price of each. We also recommend asking what is excluded.
We also recommend asking about the minimum term, renewal, cancellation, and what happens if you move practice or if the animal dies or is rehomed. Those extra questions are not the CMA disclosure list. The live comparison shows what listed plans currently publish.
People also found useful
What the CMA vet decision means
As of 30 August 2026, new consumer duties proposed by the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), the UK competition regulator, were not yet legally binding on veterinary practices.
How pet health plans work
A pet health plan is a prepaid monthly package for routine veterinary care, often vaccinations, parasite prevention, a health check and discounts.
How we compare pet health plans
We describe a price or benefit as exact only when the published information matches the details entered for the pet.
Sources
Last checked 30 August 2026.