The annual renewal fee for veterinary surgeons is set to rise by £24 for those practising in the UK.

Move follows approval by the Privy Council

The annual renewal fee for veterinary surgeons is set to rise by £24 for those practising in the UK, £12 for overseas-practising members and £4 for non-practising members.

In a press release, the RCVS said the move follows approval by the Privy Council and is being implemented ‘to continue funding a number of ambitious projects and make sure the College is fit for the future’.

The increases will apply to the 2020-21 annual renewal fee for veterinary surgeons, including overseas-practising and non-practising veterinary surgeons and temporary registrants. The deadline for these payments is 31 March 2020.

The approved fee will also apply to veterinary surgeons registering on or after 1 April 2020, including the registration fee for those applying to re-join the Register.

Before the approval, Defra minister Lord Gardiner of Kimble recommended that Privy Council adopt the Statutory Instrument that would give rise to the fee increase.

RCVS CEO Lizzie Lockett said the increase is needed to ensure the financial future of the profession and will be put towards both new and existing ventures.

“While we appreciate that asking people for more money is never going to be popular, I would like to reassure the profession that the fee rise is both a necessary piece of financial future-proofing and will also help fund current projects and future initiatives stemming from our new Strategic Plan,” she said.

“Many of our existing projects such as the RCVS Leadership programme, the ViVet innovation project, the Fellowship and the Mind Matters mental health initiative, have an increasing workload, often due to popular demand, which requires additional resources – including staffing – to meet those needs.

“Furthermore, there is lots of additional work on the horizon, much of which relates to improving and enhancing aspects of the profession and stems from our newly approved Strategic Plan, which will be published soon.”

She continued: “In terms of future-proofing, we also need to make sure we have sufficient financial security for a potential decrease in the number of veterinary surgeons currently registered with us, as well as the number of veterinary surgeons joining the Register on an annual basis, that may arise when the UK fully leaves the EU at the end of the transition period in December 2020.”

The new fees come into force on 1 April 2020 and are expected to be added to the RCVS website shortly. A list of current RCVS renewal fees can be found at https://www.rcvs.org.uk/how-we-work/fees/