Keele and Harper Adams in talks for new vet school
The new school would provide five-year degrees leading to a Bachelor of Veterinary Sciences (BVSc) qualification.
Keele University and Harper Adams University have announced that they are in exploratory talks to establish a new veterinary school.
The new school would provide five-year degrees leading to a Bachelor of Veterinary Sciences (BVSc) qualification and training would be delivered on both campuses. Accreditation would be sought from the RCVS, enabling graduates to register and practice as vets upon obtaining their degree.
“The new veterinary school will draw upon expertise in life sciences and our highly regarded Medical School as well as Harper Adams’ long-established record in delivering programmes in the veterinary field, agriculture and animal sciences,” explained Professor Jonathan Wastling, pro-vice-chancellor and executive dean of natural sciences at Keele University.
“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. It will enable our agricultural students and trainee veterinarians to have greater awareness of the issues facing both professions. It will also open up new avenues for livestock research, advanced veterinary training and knowledge exchange, ultimately to the benefit of the farming sector.”
Responding, BVA president Gudrun Ravetz said the potential new vet school is an ‘interesting development’ at a time when there are many questions around the sustainability of the UK veterinary workforce as the UK prepares to leave the EU.
“Striking the right balance between producing ‘home grown’ graduates from UK veterinary schools and bringing in appropriately qualified and skilled foreign graduates will be key to maintaining a flexible, skilled and sustainable workforce,” she said.
“However, there are a number of very important factors that will need to be considered, including whether we have enough capacity in the UK to deliver quality EMS placements, and how it might impact on the availability of veterinary teaching staff.”
Keele University said that further discussions detailed business planning will be undertaken over the coming months. Further announcement outlining when the new school will open is expected later in the the year.
Veterinary practices are being urged to help owners safely dispose of any unused and expired pet medicines - not just antibiotics - during November's Animal Medicines Amnesty. 
