15 Apr 2025
IVC Evidensia accused the corporation of choosing to “malign” the whole sector in its investigation, despite senior figures describing some of its claims as “concerning”.
Allister Webb
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Image: William / Adobe Stock
A major care provider has denounced fresh allegations about its operations, and those of the wider veterinary sector, as “misleading”.
IVC Evidensia hit back this afternoon (15 April), after a BBC investigation claimed some of its own clinicians had reported being monitored and having targets set for them.
But while it stressed some of the issues raised were already being addressed, the BVA warned the sector’s current regulatory structure “clearly needs to change”.
The row broke out in response to a new episode of File on 4 Investigates, which was released earlier today and is due to be broadcast on BBC Radio 4 this evening.
The programme features the results of a British Veterinary Union (BVU) survey, which found nearly one in five (18.5%) of participating members believed monitoring had affected their clinical decisions.
It said it had spoken to seven survey respondents, each of whom were said to work for IVC and reported both being monitored and having targets set for them.
The corporation also claimed it had seen emails questioning why a clinician’s average transaction value was “very low”, while one of the interviewed clinicians, whose comments were voiced by an actor, alleged their “worth” was connected to income generation.
However, in a combative statement, IVC said it “strongly refutes” the allegations made in the programme and insisted there was no record of the cases reported being raised within the company.
A spokesperson added: “Despite significant background information and detailed refutation, the BBC has decided to malign a profession dedicated to caring for animals.
“All of our 8,000 vets and vet nurses have the clinical freedom to recommend appropriate care, considering each animal’s needs and the owner’s circumstances, and are not set individual financial targets or incentives.”
BVA president Elizabeth Mullineaux acknowledged there had been considerable change to the sector in recent years and admitted some of the issues raised in the programme were “concerning”.
But she added: “What remains steadfast is the professionalism, dedication and highly skilled care vet teams deliver for their clients and their animals on a daily basis.”
Dr Mullineaux also argued that the ongoing Competition and Markets Authority investigation of companion animal services had highlighted the need for major regulatory reforms.
She said: “Vet practices are not regulated, and vets are held accountable for business decisions that are often out of their control. This clearly needs to change.”
The BVU survey, which was shared exclusively with the BBC and is said to have received 275 responses, also suggested nearly three-quarters (73%) of respondents believed their own practices’ fees were too high.
Union chairperson Suzy Hudson-Cooke told the programme she wasn’t surprised by the findings.
She said: “It’s what we hear frequently from our members that they are increasingly put in positions where they want to provide care to the patients that are presented to them, but they work for a business.”
