Open consultation

Reform of the Veterinary Surgeons Act 1966

From:
Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs, The Scottish Government, Northern Ireland Executive and Welsh Government
Published
28 January 2026

Summary

Consulting on reforms to the Veterinary Surgeons Act 1966, including recognising the full veterinary team, modernising the regulator and regulating businesses.

This consultation is being held on another website.

This consultation closes at

Consultation description

We would like to know your thoughts about potential reforms to the Veterinary Surgeons Act 1966.

This could include:

  • regulating all professions in the veterinary team

  • protecting the titles of professions in the veterinary team

  • regulating veterinary and animal healthcare businesses to protect both the public, consumers and animal health and welfare

  • updating the regulator’s structure, to ensure it’s fit for purpose and aligns with the government regulation action plan

Updates to this page

Published 28 January 2026

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