Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to reports of private equity companies purchasing veterinary practices to turn them into "cash-generating units", whether they will hold urgent discussions with the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons about amending their Code of Conduct to apply to commercial companies running veterinary practices.
Anyone practising as a veterinary surgeon, regardless of the ownership of the practice, needs to be registered with the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons and has a duty to provide care ensuring that animal health and welfare is their first consideration. Any concerns about the ownership or commercial practices of businesses should be directed to the Competition and Markets Authority.