Workers in the Government department dealing with the foot-and-mouth and bluetongue outbreaks are being made compulsorily redundant, their union has complained.
Around 20 staff at the Wildlife Administration Unit of the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) have received redundancy notices.
The Public and Commercial Services union said the affected staff were based in Cornwall and Gloucestershire.
The union said other workers in the department have had their holiday leave cancelled for October because of the current animal health problems.
Mark Serwotka, general secretary of the PCS, said: "Making people compulsorily redundant at the same time as the department is working around the clock to contain foot-and-mouth and bluetongue disease outbreaks is ridiculous and unnecessary.
"This move raises fears that more could follow in greater numbers."
The union is to ballot all its members across the Civil Service for industrial action in the next few weeks in a row over jobs and pay.
Mr Serwotka called on the Government to intervene to prevent the job losses.
