17 Dec 2025
“While this is a decision for the University of Cambridge, its consequences extend far beyond academia and the implications are national,” says Danny Chambers.
Chris Simpson
Job Title
Liberal Democrat MP and vet Danny Chambers.
A vet and MP has hit out at the proposed closure of the University of Cambridge’s vet school.
Liberal Democrat MP Danny Chambers criticised the recommendation as “short-sighted” and warned the closure could have significant implications for the UK’s pandemic preparedness and a range of other one health issues.
Dr Chambers wrote in a blog: “At a time when vaccine uptake is falling, misinformation is rising and international cooperation on health is under strain, weakening our own public health defences is the last thing the UK should be doing.
“That is why the proposed closure of Cambridge veterinary school is so troubling.
“This is not simply about the future of one degree programme. It is about whether we understand what modern veterinary science contributes to human health and what we stand to lose if we dismantle it.”
He continued: “[Cambridge’s] veterinary school is embedded within a wider ecosystem of medical research, life sciences and global health expertise.
“Closing it would not simply reduce training capacity. It would fracture a collaborative environment that drives innovation on some of the most complex challenges we face.
“These include antimicrobial resistance, emerging zoonotic diseases, the health impacts of climate change, sustainable food production and biodiversity loss.”
Dr Chambers suggested the closure of the school would call into question the country’s status among leaders in global health and scientific innovation and called for the protection of institutions that facilitate multidisciplinary science.
He concluded: “While this is a decision for the University of Cambridge, its consequences extend far beyond academia and the implications are national.
“The Government should urgently engage with the university to explore how this vital national capability, expertise and leadership in tackling the big questions around the threats to our public health can be supported and maintained.”
Cambridge announced last week its Council of the School of the Biological Sciences has recommended it cease veterinary education, which will be considered by the university’s general board.
The university has indicated that its Department of Veterinary Medicine would remain open if the recommendation is supported, however, and that research would continue.
