Prospect warned yesterday that farmers and farm animals will be the losers if the government strips more than half of the UK's regional veterinary centres of their laboratory facilities.

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs has claimed that the closures would save £2.4m a year, but Prospect said that figure is dwarfed by the potential costs of failing to detect promptly a disease like foot and mouth, which cost the UK £8bn in 2001.

Laboratory services at eight of the 14 regional centres run by the Animal Health and Veterinary Laboratories Agency will close over the next two years if Environment Secretary Caroline Spelman gives the go-ahead to plans being put to her by the agency.

Veterinary surveillance staff at the centres would in future have to send samples for testing to one of the remaining regional or central AHVLA laboratories.

Prospect issued a news release in which the union's National Secretary Geraldine O'Connell warned that 90 scientists and lab staff would lose their jobs under the proposals.

The story was reported on the BBC website.