The University of Cambridge to keep vet school open

Veterinary education at the University of Cambridge will continue after a plan to close courses was halted following an "outcry".

Its School of the Biological Sciences had put forward recommendations to close the department by 2032, with staff and current and prospective students told about the proposal in December.

The British Veterinary Association (BVA) and the National Farmers' Union (NFU) both wrote letters urging for the continuation of the school.

The university said that after "having heard the strength of feeling" it would continue "to offer veterinary education", and the closure would no longer proceed.

The university will continue to admit students onto the course, with offer letters to be sent "imminently" for students due to enter the course this autumn.

The university's general board said it recognised that the "Biological Sciences cannot be solely responsible for the future of veterinary education".

It added that it would look to "develop and evaluate alternative models for the future of veterinary education at Cambridge".

In November last year, the university was given 10 months to meet recommendations for improvement of the veterinary degree by the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS).

About 160 people are employed at the site, and about 65 students pass through the school each year.

The BVA published an open letter, co-signed by 19 other veterinary organisations, calling for the continuation of the school.

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