The veterinary market - France (2023)

1.2 European market for veterinary activities

Veterinary activity within the European Union has been on the increase for the past ten years.

it should be noted that, for the sake of consistency, we have selected data excluding the United Kingdom during the years when it was still part of the EU. Figures for the UK vary between *,*** and *,*** establishments between **** and ****.

Number of veterinary establishments European Union, **** to ****, in units Source: ****

Italy, Spain and Germany are the * countries with the highest number of veterinary establishments in the European Union. Between them, they account for almost **% of all European establishments.

Distribution of veterinary establishments European Union, ****, in Source : Eurostat Sales have also grown steadily over the past decade, reaching ** billion euros in ****.

Sales in the veterinary sector European Union, ****-****, in billions of euros Source: ****

*.* billion euros in ****

France alone accounts for a quarter of European

Sales breakdown European Union, **** to ****, in billions of euros Source: ****

1.3 French market

Veterinary activities

We consider here the data provided byInsee under APE code ****Z "Veterinary activities".

Sales of French veterinary establishments have risen sharply in recent years, increasing by **% between **** and ****, and exceeding the * billion euro mark in ****.

Sales of veterinary activities under APE code ****Z France, ****-****, in billions of euros Source : Insee Overall growth in the number of veterinarians in France In ****, there will be**,*** veterinarians registeredàordre national des vétérinairesincluding *,*** new registrants that year. Moreover, the number of veterinarians is growing at a steady pace (***) since ****, compared with only*.*% in ****, and *.*% in **** and ****.

Number of practitioners registered with the Ordre national des vétérinaires France, ****-****, in units Source: ****

The number of new registrants is also on the rise, with *** more new registrants than ** years ago, reaching **** new registrants in ****.

New members of the Ordre des Vétérinaires France, ****-****, in units Source: ****

The number of veterinary establishments also rose slightly between **** and ****, from **** to ****. However, there were some fluctuations during this period, marked by the closure of ** establishments in **** and ****, followed by the opening or reopening of *** establishments in ****.

Number of veterinary establishments France, ****-****, in units Source: ****

2.1 Animals in France

Pets

In ****, one French household in two will have at least one pet, including **.*% fish, **.*% cats and **.*% farmyard birds. Only **.*% of pets in France are dogs, and there will be a total of ** million pets in ****.

Breakdown of pet population France, ****, % Source: ****

Over the last ** years, the cat and dog populations have experienced opposite trends. Whereas in ****, the populations were both close, with almost * million canines and ** million felines, today there are almost twice as many cats as dogs. over the last two years, the trend has been reversed, with the number of dogs increasing by *.*% between **** and ****, while the number of cats has fallen by *.*% over the same period.

Source: ****

In ****, household spending focused primarily on cats and dogs. Dogs, however, were still more heavily medicated, visiting the vet *.* times a year, compared with *.* times a year for cats.

Internal and external anti-parasite treatments were given to **% of dogs, and vaccinations to around **%. Dogs were vaccinated more frequently, with **% of owners declaring that they vaccinated their dogs every year, compared with **% of cat owners.

Livestock

The livestock population was also on the rise until ****, but has been declining slightly since ****. In ****, there will be around **.* million livestock in France (***), *.*% fewer ...

2.2 Profile of veterinarians

By gender

Of the **,*** veterinarians in ****, **.*% were women. Parity in the profession was achieved in ****, and the number of female veterinarians has been rising steadily for many years. Between **** and ****, the proportion of women vets rose by ** percentage points, from **.*% to **.*%.

By specialization

The vast majority of veterinarians specialize in companion animals, either exclusively (***). A total of *% of veterinarians have no specialization at all.

Distribution of veterinarians by specialization France, ****, % (***) Source: ****

By species

Cat- and dog-related activity accounts for the vast majority of vets' sales: in fact, cats represented **% of the sector's sales in ****, and dogs totaled **% of sales. cattle are the *rd largest species in terms of revenue, with **% of sales. [***]

Moreover, sales of companion animals have grown much faster than sales of livestock in recent years: thus, at base *** in ****, sales of companion animals reached *** in ****, compared with *** for livestock. Total veterinary sales in France represented an index of *** in ****. [***]

Unfortunately, we don't have any more recent figures than those for ****, but they give an overall idea of market dynamics.

evolution of veterinary sales by species France, ****-****, index *** in **** Source: ****

3.1 Market structure

Breakdown by type of practice

The veterinary profession is also structured according to the type of practice: veterinarians may be self-employed (***), in the private sector or in the public sector. The vast majority of veterinarians are self-employed, i.e. self-employed partners and employees in the self-employed sector, with respectively **** and **** individuals in ****.

Type of veterinary practice in France France, ****, in units Source: ****

Distribution by type of practice, by gender

There are even gender-specific trends: **.*% of male veterinarians work as self-employed associates; by contrast, among female veterinarians, the most common type of practice is "salaried self-employed", accounting for **% of the female workforce.

Distribution of veterinarians by type of practice, by gender France, ****, % (***) Source: ****

3.2 Number of establishments and employees in the veterinary sector

The following graph shows the evolution of the number of establishments and employees in France in the veterinary activities of APE code ****Z (***). The number of veterinary establishments has been rising over the past ** years, increasing by *.*% from **** to **** . The number of employees working in veterinary activities is also growing strongly, with **,*** more employees in **** than in ****.

Number of establishments and employees in veterinary activities France, **** to ****, in units Source: ****

3.3 Geographical distribution of plants

The geographical distribution of veterinary establishments logically follows the distribution of veterinarians. Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes leads the way, with *** veterinary establishments. Next come Ile-de-France, Nouvelle-Aquitaine and Occitanie, with ***, *** and *** veterinary establishments respectively. Reunion, Guadeloupe, Martinique and French Guiana have **, **, ** and * establishments respectively.

Source: ****

3.4 Related markets

Software and applications for veterinarians

Publishers of veterinary software and applications

Software publishers are responsible for the veterinary software and applications market, from creation to distribution. Here are the essential stages in their activity:

Publishers must also ensure that their products comply with animal health and data protection regulations. They act accordingly to ensure user safety:

There are * main publishers of veterinary software and applications: Digivet and Vétosoft, but they face increasing competition:

Software and applications for veterinarians

Software offers a wide range of functions and formats, from installed software to mobile or tablet applications. Installed software is the central product, bringing together all the tools developed. These tools and functionalities include: statistics, accounting, customer communication, diary, customer and animal files, consultation, prescription, invoicing, stock management and product ordering.

Specialized applications

Alongside these comprehensive, integrated global management software packages, there is also a wide range of highly specialized applications, of which the following are just a few examples:

Health products and pet food

By ****, almost*.* million tonnes of pet food will have been consumed. Nearly **% of pet food production is exported abroad, giving France a surplus of nearly *** million euros. Investment in research reached nearly *** million euros. Still in ****, *,*** direct ...

4.1 Specializations by animal

Although there are many different types of veterinarians (***), the three most important categories are :

Pet vets, Rural or mixed veterinarians, Equine veterinarians.

Depending on which of these categories they belong to, the tasks performed by vets are radically different.

Source: ****

4.2 Average cost of care

The cost of care at a pet vet can vary greatly depending on the task performed. While a consultation costs around ** euros, the removal of a tumor can cost around *** euros. Prices for specialist vets, however, are more difficult to assess.

Source: ****

to these prices must be added the cost of medication, which is generally high. Veterinarians' margins on the latter are around **%, due to the smaller quantities produced and higher VAT than on human drugs. [***]

Emergency consultations with vets on call are more expensive: on average ** euros per consultation. These high costs can be limited by pet insurance. [***]

However, the costs associated with veterinary care are increasing relatively little (***).

Consumer price index for veterinary and other pet services France, ****-****, base *** in **** Source: ****

4.3 Increasingly frequent specialization by veterinarians

Veterinarians are increasingly turning their attention to companion animals. This practice is also increasingly found in cities, as the number of rural veterinarians is declining.[***]

However, this evolution is also accompanied by a growing specialization of veterinarians, a trend noted by the French Ministry of Agriculture. Owners are more and more inclined to take care of their pets' health, and to call on the services of specialist vets, albeit at a higher cost.

This specialization was made possible in **** with the creation of the following two diplomas:

CEFV (***), awarded by the UniLaSalle veterinary school in Rouen. DESV (***).

Since ****, however, veterinary specialists holding the DESV no longer retain their status for life, but for a period of five years, subject to renewal. This five-year renewal requires justification of the "updating of knowledge and skills".

In CHVs (***), their presence has even been mandatory since ****. However, the length of the course and low remuneration are obstacles to the development of this specialization, which uses cutting-edge equipment.

The most represented specialties are currently pet surgery (***). By ****, a total of *** veterinary specialists will be practicing in France. [***]

5.1 Key regulatory issues for the profession

Codes governing the profession

The veterinary profession is strictly regulated by several codes, the main ones being :

The Rural Code Civil Code The Public Health Code

These obligations govern both the contract implicit between a veterinarian and his patient, and the substances whose use is regulated for veterinarians.

The latest major regulatory development is the updating of laws concerning veterinary medicines, applicable throughout the European Union from January ****. [***] While over-the-counter sales of veterinary medicines are now permitted on the internet, only veterinary surgeons are allowed to prescribe medicines for animals. A database is to be set up to list all medicines authorized on EU territory. It is now easier to import medicines from outside the European Union.

However, certain medicines are prohibitedin order to limit antibiotic resistance in animals. For example, the preventive use of drugs is only permitted in extreme cases. Similarly, imported animals and animal products must comply with the European ban on the use of drugs reserved for humans and the ban on the use of drugs that cause antibiotic resistance. For example, animal feeds containing medical components may only be prescribed for a maximum of two weeks, and may only contain a maximum of one antimicrobial substance. ...

6.1 Segmentation

• VetinParis
• Clinique vétérinaire Alliance
• Clinique Vétérinaire des Barques
• CHVE Livet
• CHV Fregis
• Sevetys
• IVC Evidensia France
• Anicura (Mars Petcare)
• Mon Veto
• Vetup
• Vetosoft
• Coveto - MyVet Apps
• Le point vétérinaire
• La dépêche vétérinaire
• Santé Vet - Vetassur
• Dr. Veto /MyVeto
• Vetoquinol
• Virbac
• Centravet groupe - GmVet
• Univet
• Idexx
• Clinique Veterinaire de Bayeux
• Dômes Pharma
• IVC Evidencia
• Animeo
• Tom&co