Nigel Paul Gibbens (born 1 March 1958) is a British veterinarian and

civil servant The civil service is a collective term for a sector of government composed mainly of career civil servants hired on professional merit rather than appointed or elected, whose institutional tenure typically survives transitions of political leaders ...

. He was the United Kingdom's Chief Veterinary Officer from May 2008 to March 2018.

Early life and education

Gibbens was born on 1 March 1958 in

Dover Dover () is a town and major ferry port in Kent, South East England. It faces France across the Strait of Dover, the narrowest part of the English Channel at from Cap Gris Nez in France. It lies south-east of Canterbury and east of Maidstone ...

, Kent, England. He studied at the

Royal Veterinary College , mottoeng = Confront disease at onset , established = (became a constituent part of University of London in 1949) , endowment = £10.5 million (2021) , budget = £106.0 million (20 ...

, graduating with a

Bachelor of Veterinary Medicine The Bachelor of Veterinary Science (BVSc or BVSC; Latin Baccalaureus Veterinariae Scientiae), "Bachelor of Veterinary Medicine" (BVetMed), or "Bachelor of Veterinary Medicine and Surgery" ("BVM&S" or "BVMS") is a degree for studies in veterinary me ...

degree."Gibbens, Nigel Paul" ''

Who's Who ''Who's Who'' (or ''Who is Who'') is the title of a number of reference publications, generally containing concise biography, biographical information on the prominent people of a country. The title has been adopted as an expression meaning a gr ...

'' Oxford University Press
Accessed 2 December 2017
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Career

On 21 May 2008, Gibbens became the Chief Veterinary Officer of the United Kingdom and for the

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) is a department of His Majesty's Government responsible for environmental protection, food production and standards, agriculture, fisheries and rural communities in the United K ...

. Gibbens supports the culling of badgers in an attempt to control the spread of bovine tuberculosis, describing the practice as "the best available option".

Honours

He was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire in the

2016 New Year Honours The New Year Honours 2016 were appointments by some of the 16 Commonwealth realms to various orders and honours to recognise and reward good works by citizens of those countries. The New Year Honours are awarded as part of the New Year celebrati ...

References

British veterinarians Living people Commanders of the Order of the British Empire 1958 births People from Dover, Kent {{UK-scientist-stub