Vet project: BBC Panorama, podcast and Welsh Parliament roundtable - Dr David Reader
Published: 29 January 2026
Dr Dave Reader recently appeared on an episode of Panorama ("Why are vet bills so high?") providing comment on the problems facing the vet profession in the context of competition law.
Earlier this month, Dr Dave Reader made a couple of brief appearances in a recent edition of Panorama (“Why are vet bills so high?”), available via BBC iPlayer and Box of Broadcasts, providing comments on the problems facing the profession in an accompanying BBC News article. He (and his co-investigator, Scott Summers of UEA) also appeared on the first episode of Series 3 of the FIVP’s Practice Matters podcast, titled ‘Unpacking the CMA Investigation’, where they spoke about the origins of their project and what the CMA’s vet markets inquiry could mean for independent providers [FIVP website | Apple | Spotify].
On 20 January, both appeared at an information session hosted by the Senedd (Welsh Parliament), with Dave delivering a presentation to Senedd members and wider stakeholders on the links between veterinary markets and animal welfare, drawing on the distinctive challenges facing veterinary professionals and pet owners in Wales. Finally, Dave and Scott were commissioned to act as economic advisors to a charity representing veterinary professionals, which involved each being successfully admitted into the Confidentiality Ring of the CMA’s market investigation.
First published: 29 January 2026