Nottingham students urge rethink on agriculture degree pause

Current and former agriculture students at the University of Nottingham have voiced concern following the university’s proposal to suspend its undergraduate agriculture degrees from next year.

The proposed cuts, announced to staff and students last week, would mean that no new undergraduates will be accepted onto the affected courses from the 2026/27 academic year.

Existing students will be able to complete their studies, but foundation year students will not be able to progress into those degrees.

See also: Peter Gittins: Universities should support UK farming more

The move forms part of Future Nottingham, a university-wide restructuring programme designed to address financial pressures and reshape the institution. The university reported an operating deficit of £17m for 2023/24, and more than 250 jobs are expected to be lost as departments are merged.

Agriculture, which has been taught at Nottingham’s Sutton Bonington (SB) campus since the 1890s, is among the subjects earmarked for suspension.

The decision has prompted disappointment from students and alumni, many of whom argue that agriculture remains central to the UK’s food and farming future.

Online petition

Final-year agriculture student Herbert Pickford raised the alarm in a widely shared Facebook post and launched an online petition urging the university to reconsider.

“This decision does not just impact agriculture at Sutton Bonington, but the whole UK agricultural industry,” he wrote. “Join me in signing the petition to save agriculture on SB.”

The petition describes the degree as “a lifeline for rural communities and the future of farming”, highlighting the campus’s long history of research on soil health, crop science, and livestock welfare.

Students have expressed frustration that the move appears to be financially driven. “This great institute of agriculture needs support now when the university is trying to close it down to save money,” one student told Farmers Weekly.

“We’re students, not a balance sheet. Closing Sutton Bonington would be yet another door slammed shut on young people trying to get into agriculture, and a step backwards for UK agriculture.”

Among those calling for a rethink is Jill Hewitt, chief executive of the National Association of Agricultural Contractors and a Nottingham alumna.

‘Short-sighted’ decision

“This seems a very short-sighted decision,” she said. “Sutton Bonington has been an innovation centre for decades, turning out industry professionals. Our sector is short of new entrants, and in this innovative industry we need centres of excellence to support farming and food going forward.”

The agriculture degree is one of several long-standing programmes affected, alongside modern languages, nursing, and education – all subjects that have seen declining enrolments nationally.

In a statement, the university said the courses have been selected for suspension for a number of reasons, including “low demand from prospective students, declining populations on the courses, and low research income – meaning that they are less financially viable for us to maintain”.

The University and College Union (UCU), which plans to resume industrial action next week, stated that it opposes the proposal. The university’s council is expected to make a final decision on the suspensions by 25 November.