Protestors take ‘Save The Vet School’ demand to crunch Cambridge meeting

Hundreds of people have gathered in Cambridge this morning (23 February) to protest against the planned closure of its university vet school.

An announcement is expected later today following a meeting of the University of Cambridge’s general board, which was scheduled to start a short time ago.

But outside the closed meeting, students and staff both voiced their anger at how the process had been handled to this point.

Jack Pyman, the school’s Association of Veterinary Students (AVS) representative, said: “We’ve been trying to fight a tide essentially.

“It’s just devastating from our perspective to see five years of what we’ve worked, a department we’ve worked for, formed relationships with and the people we’ve been studying together with disregarded and tossed aside in this way.”

‘Enormous insult’

University bosses claimed there was “no viable long-term solution” to secure the school’s future when they announced the closure plan in December.

But Merry Smith, associate professor of equine orthopaedic surgery, claimed the institution was not following its own procedures in pursuing the closure plan.

She said: “They’re literally riding roughshod over the procedures that are in place if a department should need some form of revision or appraisal. It’s just the most enormous insult.”

Campaign support

A host of stakeholders, including MPs, sector organisations and charities, have voiced their concerns since the closure plan was announced, while the Save The Vet School campaign led by union officials now claims to have attracted more than 20,000 supporters.

British Veterinary Union chair Suzy Hudson-Cooke was cheered as she told protestors “the whole of the veterinary community is behind this campaign to save the vet school”.

She added: “Every worker in every veterinary workplace is talking about this. Every worker wants you to be able to continue your education and your teaching and continue to serve the community of Cambridge.”

Below is a video of the protests in central Cambridge this morning.

VIDEO: Supporters protest closure of University of Cambridge’s vet school ahead of a crucial meeting today (23 February 2026) to decide its future. Video: © Vet Times