Senior figures at the University of Cambridge’s Veterinary School have written an open letter to Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, warning that the course’s potential closure could jeopardise Britain’s ability to respond to future pandemics.

The letter identifies pandemic preparedness as one of “five major, interconnected risks to UK science and security,” posed by the recommendation to close the school.

Last week, the School of Biological Sciences recommended that the University stop teaching veterinary courses. It followed a regulatory report from the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS), identifying financial difficulties and animal safety issues requiring improvement.

However, concerns have emerged over the critical role of veterinary expertise in controlling diseases that spread from animals to humans. In their letter to Downing Street, eleven senior Cambridge figures argued that eliminating the veterinary degree would reduce the pipeline of researchers and students equipped to tackle global challenges including pandemic preparedness.

Department leadership expressed shock at the recommendation to close the school. Professor Alice Bird, head of anaesthesia at the Department of Veterinary Medicine, described the “rushed decision” as a “risky move”.

Professor Bird emphasised the urgency of maintaining veterinary capacity. She warned that another pandemic similar in scale to COVID-19 remains a genuine threat, driven by increased international travel, expanding human-animal interactions, and greater global mobility. The veterinary profession, she stressed, must work alongside medical professionals to detect and respond to these emerging threats.

The experts highlighted historical precedents where veterinary expertise proved essential, citing both the 2001 foot-and-mouth disease epidemic and the COVID-19 pandemic. Closing the degree programme, the letter claims, would diminish the UK’s capacity to respond to infectious disease threats affecting animals and humans.

Comparable institutions, including the University of Oxford, Imperial College London and University College London, do not offer veterinary degrees. Losing Cambridge’s programme would, the signatories said, leave a significant gap in national research, directly affecting the UK’s ability to respond to infectious disease threats.

The letter to the Prime Minister warned that the closure would trigger additional consequences beyond pandemic risk, including “brain-drain” of scientific talent, undermined investment, compromised biosecurity, and worsened shortages of veterinary surgeons across the UK.

The British Veterinary Association has also called the proposal to close the school “deeply worrying”.

A University spokesperson acknowledged the difficult period for colleagues and students, noting that support structures were being established. The recommendation is now due to be “considered by the University’s General Board and other university decision-making bodies,” with further discussion expected in January.

Meanwhile, the Government has indicated that course decisions remain matters for individual universities. A spokesperson stated that “the UK takes animal diseases extremely seriously and works closely with industry partners, international fora and other government departments and local authorities to constantly monitor and react to new disease threats”.