New vet school in talks due to fears of EU vets leaving UK

One-fifth of vets are already reporting that it has become harder to recruit since the EU Referendum
One-fifth of vets are already reporting that it has become harder to recruit since the EU Referendum

A new veterinary school is hoping to be established offering training amid concerns over the possibility over a lack of veterinary workforce post-Brexit.

Keele University and Harper Adams University have agreed a Memorandum of Understanding announcing that they are in exploratory talks to establish a new Veterinary School.

It comes as news that a report highlighted non-British EU veterinary surgeons are 'critical' to the UK veterinary workforce.

Around 50% of veterinary surgeons registering to practise in the UK each year come from overseas, with the vast majority of these coming from the rest of the EU.

Yet one-fifth of vets are already reporting that it has become harder to recruit since the EU Referendum.

However, the new vet school would provide five-year degrees leading to a Bachelor of Veterinary Sciences (BVSc) qualification.

It is hoped the training would be delivered on both university campuses in partnership with local clinical providers and industry.

Accreditation would be sought from the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons, enabling graduates to register and practice as vets upon the award of their degree.

'State of the art'

Professor Jonathan Wastling, Pro-Vice-Chancellor and Executive Dean of Natural Sciences at Keele University, commented: “State of the art laboratories available on the Keele campus will be complemented by world-class large and small animal facilities provided by Harper Adams, offering the perfect environment for Veterinary students.

“Our intention is to produce highly-employable graduates able to deal with the challenging and rapidly changing landscape of the modern veterinary profession.”

Professor Peter Mills, Deputy Vice-Chancellor at Harper Adams University added: “This initiative will complement our core subjects in agriculture, not least in the care and treatment of agricultural livestock.

“The proposed joint Veterinary School will be of considerable benefit to our agri-food provision.”

Further discussions and detailed business planning will be undertaken over the coming months, with a view to a further announcement later in the year outlining when the new school would expect to receive its first cohort of students.