Rennie calls for ‘pets and placards’ Elmwood protest

North East Fife MSP Willie Rennie has called on local people to join a protest this Saturday to save the animal care unit at Elmwood. He has warned that without the course the closure of the whole site would be ‘inevitable’.

SRUC announced in late February that it planned to close the animal care unit and cease the course at Elmwood at the end of this academic year. A consultation concluded on Monday 24th March, and a final decision is expected to be announced in April.

Staff and students have organised a protest at Elmwood on Saturday 29th March at noon. Mr Rennie is now calling on members of the local community to join the protest and to ‘bring colour’ in an effort to save the course.

He has previously written to Linda Hanna, the Chair of the SRUC board, saying that without the animal care course the ‘inevitable consequence’ would be the closure of Elmwood entirely. Ms Hanna has agreed to meet him to discuss an alternative site for the course near Cupar which Mr Rennie identified.

Willie Rennie said:

“Elmwood has been butchered over the years from a peak of two thousand students to just a few hundred. A lack of investment has seen the loss of the farm and student accommodation, the attempted sale of the golf course, the partial closure of the building and now the proposed closure of the whole building.

“If animal care closes, it is inevitable that Elmwood will close.

“With this latest cut there will be no animal care courses in the local area despite considerable demand from students and support from the local community. I encourage everyone who can to come along to the protest on Saturday to show their support. Bring pets and placards to save animal care. Together we can bring colour to the fight to save Elmwood and demand that SRUC think again.”