IVC Evidensia, owner of more than three hundred Dutch veterinary clinics, has a “great challenge” for its veterinarians. Anyone who refers at least 5 percent more pets to a specialized Evidensia animal hospital in the first quarter of 2025 than in the last months of 2024 can expect a bonus.
“If we achieve this milestone, we will reward your efforts as a team with 20 euros per person to spend on a fun team activity,” Evidensia’s operational director writes in an internal message. NRC has realized. “Let’s grow together and celebrate successes!”
Investor IVC Evidensia, based in Bristol, England, has purchased more than three hundred veterinary practices in the Netherlands over the past ten years. This makes it by far the market leader: its biggest competitor AniCura has more than a hundred locations in the Netherlands. Evidensia also built eight specialized ‘animal hospitals’. The company’s largest shareholders are private equity funds EQT (from Sweden) and Silver Lake (from the US), and food group Nestlé.
The bonus for Dutch veterinarians is the next step in a development that has been visible in the sector for some time: a growing focus on financial results, as a result of the arrival of commercial investors. The prices for a comparable treatment are in an animal hospital higher than at the regular vet, Evidensia confirms. Some specialist treatments can only be carried out in a hospital. The group does not want to say exactly how large the price differences are.
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The KNMvD, the professional organization for Dutch veterinarians, reacts displeased to the bonus that Evidensia has promised its two thousand veterinarians. “We didn’t know about this.”
The professional organization wants to discuss this with the group soon. “Veterinarians must be able to practice their profession autonomously, without burden or consultation,” says a spokesperson. NRC. “Referral must always take place in the interests of the animal and the owner. We cannot determine how many veterinarians are influenced by this bonus, but we can point out to employers that in our view such developments are undesirable and may conflict with the Veterinarian Code,” the spokesperson said.
According to the code of ethics of the sector, veterinarians must always exercise their ‘independent judgment’ in the exercise of their profession and ‘interference with professional interests must be avoided at all times’.
IVC Evidensia denies that the bonus would conflict with the ethical code: “We attach great importance to the independence of our veterinarians,” a spokesperson wrote in a response. “The bonus mentioned is not a reward for the number of referrals, but a team-related incentive to increase awareness of the referral process and the possibilities in our hospitals. The vet’s judgment always remains leading. The goal is better care, not financial incentives.”
According to Evidensia, the eight animal hospitals in the Netherlands offer “extensive diagnostic and treatment options that go beyond what is possible in a regular practice. By encouraging referrals, we ensure that animals have access to the most advanced care available. Our hospitals are equipped with advanced equipment and are staffed by a multidisciplinary team of experienced specialists.”
Rising rates
There has been a lot of discussion about the rising rates at Dutch veterinarians for some time now. Unlike general practitioners and dentists, for example, rates in the sector are not regulated – practices are allowed to set them themselves. Bureau Berenschot concluded at the end of 2022 that the massive buying up of practices by commercial investors is causing “upward pressure on rates”.
The Ministry of Agriculture – which includes animal care – subsequently announced external research into price developments by Ecorys, the results of which are expected soon. Research by NRC showed last summer that the three largest commercial chains, including Evidensia, have a major influence on this research.
Due to the growing unrest among pet owners, the House of Representatives the ministry last year to investigate the possibilities for a price ceiling for medically necessary treatments. The Royal Dog Protection Foundation asked in September for a price ceiling for basic treatments.
Responsible State Secretary Jean Rummenie (Agriculture, BBB) wrote In response, he told the House that he wanted to wait for the results of the external investigation and an ‘exploration’ by his own ministry before considering further measures.
Veterinary medicine is not an investment item
Investment article
“Regardless of the question of whether that bonus is contrary to the Code for Veterinarians: it is very indecent,” says Jan Kooken, owner of an independent practice with five veterinarians in Budel. “Veterinary medicine is not an investment item. I really resent the fact that our profession is used as a financial generator.”
According to Kooken, the prices for treatment in an animal hospital are five to ten times higher than in a regular practice. “Many rates are really exorbitantly high,” he says. “A caesarean section on a dog at the weekend costs us between 350 and 500 euros. At an Evidensia animal hospital you can easily pay 3,000 euros.”
Evidensia writes on the site that animal hospitals charge a ‘starting rate’ between 194 and 270 euros for an emergency consultation. The costs for examination and treatment are on top of this. In many regions, animal hospitals are the only place where pet owners can go on weekends.
The Dutch branch of Evidensia recorded a turnover of approximately 315 million euros in 2023 (the last known financial year), according to the annual report of the British parent company. That was 16 percent more than in 2022, when turnover amounted to 271 million euros. Evidensia expects to grow by 16.4 percent annually in the Netherlands, the annual report states. This can be done through acquisitions or increasing turnover in existing practices.