By Jette Christensen                                                                                         

Editor’s note: Jette Christensen is Manager, Canada West Swine Health Intelligence Network (CWSHIN). She can be contacted at ‘manager@cwshin.ca.’

Maintaining strong animal health is fundamental to the long-term success and competitiveness of the Canadian pork industry. Diseases can influence production, market access and profitability in many ways, which is why minimizing their impact depends on coordinated action across the sector. Effective collaboration among producers, herd veterinarians, laboratories, provincial pork organizations and governments is essential to monitor and prevent disease threats.

Even a small number of cases of certain foreign animal diseases can trigger severe trade restrictions and disrupt the movement of animals and pork products across international borders. In addition to these high-impact diseases, a range of other conditions can reduce productivity and increase costs, often with less immediate but still significant consequences.

Understanding the full spectrum of disease risks – from export-threatening outbreaks to everyday production challenges – is critical for everyone in the value chain. By working together, the industry can protect herd health and maintain market access.

Animal movement disruptions cause challenges

Some diseases have the ability to disrupt the movement of animals through the production system, even when their direct impact on animal health is less concerning. A recent example is Senecavirus A (SVA).  To date, SVA cases in Canada have typically been mild, with animals showing blisters on the snout that resolve within a few days. In some cases, diarrhea and sudden death in piglets under 10-days-old have also been observed.

SVA produces blisters that are indistinguishable from those caused by Foot-and-Mouth Disease (FMD). Because of this similarity, any appearance of blisters must be investigated, triggering precautionary responses that can slow or halt animal movements. This becomes particularly important in the cull sow market.

Most cull sows from Canada are shipped through assembly yards in Ontario and Manitoba before being exported to U.S. processing plants. If sows arrive at the border or at a U.S. plant showing blisters – or even healed lesions that could have been blisters – they may be rejected and returned to Canada. Repeated occurrences from a specific assembly yard can result in export restrictions until enhanced surveillance and corrective measures are implemented.

Such restrictions have occurred in both Ontario and Manitoba, sometimes lasting weeks or months. These disruptions can have cascading effects across the system, including reduced market access, backlog of animals and overcrowding in sow herds.

Disease management strategies can also influence production flow. For example, during efforts to eliminate Porcine Epidemic Diarrhea (PED), pig movements may be redirected based on disease status, limiting contact between infected and non-infected sites. While effective for disease control, these adjustments can add complexity to production flow.

Although diseases that disrupt animal movements may not be clinically severe, their potential impact should not be underestimated.

Production-limiting diseases are costly

Most diseases encountered in commercial barns reduce productivity in some way, making them a constant challenge for producers. These production-limiting diseases can cause both direct losses, such as mortality, poor growth, abortions and reproductive failure, along with indirect costs, including treatment, labour and enhanced biosecurity measures.

Porcine Epidemic Diarrhea (PED) is a clear example of a disease that significantly affects production efficiency. Because of its impact, the industry in western Canada has made a coordinated effort to control and eliminate PED. During major outbreaks in Manitoba and Alberta over the past decade, collaboration has been essential reducing its spread.

The virus can persist in the environment both inside and outside barns, making it difficult to eliminate completely. While individual farms may successfully eradicate PED, they remain at risk of reintroduction if the disease is still present in nearby operations or within their production network.

Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome (PRRS) is another major production-limiting disease. It can cause reproductive failures such as abortions and respiratory disease in growing pigs. This virus can spread over short distances through the air. Although PED and PRRS can be managed or eliminated at the farm level, regional coordination is often more effective, particularly in areas with high farm density.

Finally, we have production-limiting diseases that currently are tackled farm-by-farm. One that stands out is the condition ‘diarrhea in young pigs’ because the cause is complex and could be a combination of E coli, Rotavirus, Salmonella, Sapovirus, feed and management.

Addressing these complex conditions requires detailed investigation, including laboratory diagnostics and analysis of on-farm practices. Effective solutions must be tailored to each operation, relying on close cooperation between producers, veterinarians and laboratories to identify causes and develop targeted control strategies.

Exports threatened by foreign diseases

The Canadian pork industry pays careful attention to diseases that threaten international market access. Certain foreign animal diseases are considered high-risk because even a single case can lead to immediate trade restrictions.

African Swine Fever (ASF) is one of the most widely recognized threats. Since its spread in China in 2018, ASF has affected many regions across Europe, Asia and parts of the Americas. Although it has never been detected in Canada, its global impact highlights the importance of prevention and preparedness.

Foot-and-Mouth Disease (FMD) is another major concern. While it affects multiple livestock species –including cattle and sheep – it would have severe consequences for the entire Canadian livestock sector if introduced. In recent years, FMD has spread across regions of North Africa, Europe and Asia.

Both ASF and FMD have the potential to shut down export markets almost immediately, disrupting not only international trade but also the internal movement of animals and products within Canada. Movement restrictions would likely be imposed around infected areas, affecting farms based on their proximity to outbreaks and disease status.

In addition to trade impacts, these diseases can also severely affect production at the farm level. ASF, for example, can cause extremely high mortality rates. In its acute form, it can kill nearly all infected animals, often following rapid onset of symptoms such as fever, loss of appetite and sudden death.

Less severe, chronic forms of ASF can still cause significant production losses, including abortions, weight loss, respiratory issues and lameness. While mortality rates may be lower – around 20 per cent—the overall economic impact remains substantial.

Given these risks, preventing the introduction of foreign animal diseases is a top priority for the industry.

Swine disease surveillance provides useful data

Ongoing surveillance is essential to understanding and managing animal health risks across regions. The Canada West Swine Health Intelligence Network (CWSHIN) plays a key role in monitoring disease trends and supporting decision-making.

CWSHIN operates with four main objectives: detecting emerging health issues, identifying unusual presentations of known diseases, providing information on endemic diseases, and supporting evidence of disease freedom – particularly for ASF and FMD.

Through its network, herd veterinarians share knowledge and observations, contributing to a broader understanding of disease patterns across the four western provinces. Laboratory data complements this information, helping confirm diagnoses and track disease presence.

Surveillance data show that ASF and FMD have not been detected in the region. Models and testing results are used to support evidence of disease freedom, which is critical for maintaining trade relationships. Other findings include the presence of Senecavirus A at assembly yards over several years. Data shows that PRRS is generally well-managed, though occasional outbreaks or instability still occur.

CWSHIN has also been effective in identifying new and emerging diseases. For example, Streptococcus equi zooepidemicus was first reported in 2019 and caused significant losses for the affected farms due to high sow mortality. More recently, SVA was detected at a sow site, with early information shared through the network before laboratory confirmation. For both diseases, the road to elimination was shared with the CWSHIN network for the benefit of other swine health experts.

A key feature of CWSHIN is its use of anonymous data sharing. Information that could identify farms is not collected, which encourages early reporting and builds trust among participants. While this approach limits geographic specificity, it enhances participation and improves overall knowledge sharing, supporting the network’s surveillance goals.

Producer efforts can limit disease impact

Reducing the impact of swine diseases requires a proactive and coordinated approach built on prevention, early detection and effective response. Each of these strategies depends on shared responsibility across the industry.

For foreign animal diseases, current prevention efforts include strict import controls, border biosecurity, on-farm biosecurity, and early detection through CanSpotASF. This enhanced surveillance program, established in response to the rapid spread of ASF in 2019, has received much voluntary support across Canada. Preparedness planning – a natural next step to prevention – is also an area of focus.

For production-limiting diseases, collaboration is equally important. PED elimination programs include biosecurity at farms (prevention) and surveillance at high traffic sites, which supports detection in herds and plans for effective response to an outbreak.

For production-limiting diseases in general, producers, supported by veterinarians and laboratories, are responsible for:

• Maintaining strong biosecurity practices within and around barns
• Monitoring animal health daily and responding quickly to changes
• Seeking timely veterinary advice when unusual signs appear
• Using accurate diagnostic tools, including laboratory testing
• Implementing effective treatment and herd management strategies

These measures are essential for controlling both common and complex diseases and minimizing their impact on production.

Disease control is in our hands

Diseases pose ongoing risks to the Canadian pork industry. They can reduce productivity, increase costs and disrupt market access, ultimately hurting the sector.

To address these challenges, the industry must consistently apply three key strategies: prevention, detection and treatment. Success depends on strong collaboration among producers, herd veterinarians, laboratories, provincial pork organizations and governments

By working together, the Canadian pork sector can better protect animal health, maintain trade opportunities and ensure a resilient and competitive future.

By Andrew Heck

The 12th annual Porc Show took place at the Quebec City Convention Centre on Dec. 9 & 10, inviting hundreds of Canadian and international guests to hear keynote speeches looking at market dynamics, public perceptions and the future of the pork sector, along with workshop presentations in the areas of animal health, farm management and consumer marketing.

This year, a new format debuted, which included more balanced presentation delivery between the two days, the evening reception on the first day instead of the second, and a novel approach to real-time language translation, using a phone-based app. All three decisions resulted in a more well-rounded and action-packed conference, which was appreciated by guests.

Enhanced nutrition, management reduces mortality

Zhenbin Zhang, Swine Nutritionist, Cargill Animal Nutrition & Health raised an important question: should we shift our focus on weaned pigs? Post-weaning mortality remains a significant problem for many producers, and the impacts should not be underestimated.

Among the main causes of post-weaning mortality, Zhang suggested that increasingly lower birth rates, due to increasingly larger litter sizes, may account for much of the problem, alongside sow farm health status.

“A reduction of 200 grams in birth weight can easily lead to 400 grams of reduction in post-weaning weight,” said Zhang.

Porcine Epidemic Diarrhea (PED) is another significant issue, along with Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome (PRRS). Zhang also pointed out that PRRS-positive unstable herds are likely to have Strep. suis, for which he offers two possible solutions: reduce cumulative physiologic stress, and incorporate anti-inflammatory or anti-oxidative phenolic compounds in diets.

With the incoming ban on zinc oxide in 2027, this will create challenges for immune system health, as there is no effective, non-anti-microbial alternative. The shift will also increase costs for producers.

“Unlike high-zinc diets, it is hard to chase gut health and performance simultaneously from nutrients alone,” said Zhang.

Diarrhea caused by E. Coli is another concern. Zhang indicated that water acidification is an important consideration, since acidified water reduces E. Coli shedding, decreases feed consumption and has no impact on performance.

About three-quarters of the pig population has a post-weaning mortality rate between one and five per cent, with the remaining quarter sitting at above five per cent. This latter category, which is usually not targeted by nutritionists, could benefit from a nutrition program.

Research by Cargill has shown that decreasing gut fermentable protein can help control diarrhea, as fermentable gut protein intake is correlated to mortality. Provisoy by Cargill has a lot less fermentable gut protein than bone meal, corn, or similar products, relying on structural carbohydrates to support gut health. Additional research by Cargill has shown that an increase in structural carbs can decrease mortality by at least half.

Alongside nutritional approaches, Zhang also recommends enhancing production management practices.

“Look for the four elements: air, water, space and feed,” said Zhang.

The right air temperature and humidity, along with low ammonia and carbon dioxide, provide an optimal barn atmosphere. Water should be made available at a rate of 10 to 12 pigs per drinker, adjusted to an appropriate height and flow rate.

Taken together, Zhang believes a combination of these approaches can make a big difference in reducing post-weaning mortality.

Lower sow slaughter could indicate expansion

Jean-Philippe Gervais,Executive Vice-President, Strategy & Impact, Chief Economist, Farm Credit Canada provided a timely update about the state of the Canadian economy.

Gervais suggested that inflation currently seems to be well anchored around two per cent, and Statistics Canada’s latest projections look optimistic, to the point that we could expect interest rate cuts in the second half of 2026.

“In the short term, we should see some interest rate cuts in 2026,” said Gervais. “In the long term, they could continue to rise due to what’s happening between Canada and the U.S. I would say there’s a greater chance we’ll see them rise than see them fall.”

The Canadian economy continues to grow but is under pressure. Population growth seen in recent years has cooled off, which has caused some economic slowdown, including in agri-food. Speaking about pork markets, Gervais believes Canadian pork exports overall are showing resilience, thanks to market diversification in the face of falling demand in China. Chinese demand for Canadian pork is falling, but Japanese demand is growing, as Canada recently surpassed the U.S. as the country’s main pork supplier.

However, the impacts of looming potential threats – such as the introduction to voluntary country-of-origin labeling (vCOOL) – remain to be seen. When the U.S. introduced mandatory country-of-origin labelling (mCOOL) in 2014, Canadian pig production and live exports were at an all-time high. Not long after mCOOL, production and exports dropped and have yet to recover to similar levels, though they are trending in that direction.

“Sow slaughter right now is lower relative to total slaughter, which usually indicates expansion,” said Gervais. “When I put it all together, record cattle prices from the small herd in Northem America may lead to some support for hog prices.”

On the feed side, Gervais mentioned record U.S. corn production, coupled with above-average production in Argentina, which should lead to stable prices in the coming year. Soybean demand in the U.S. demand for biofuel, however, has created a demand surge and could lead to higher feed prices.

On a more sobering note, Gervais dug into consumer trends. Pork remains competitively priced for consumers, which is good; however, if you could eliminate all the economic factors that affect consumption, Statistics Canada research indicates that pork demand would fall, beef would stay the same, and chicken would increase. Whether domestically or internationally, Canadian pork has plenty of opportunities.

Looking ahead, Gervais offered his vision for how Canadian agriculture can remain competitive in a changing world, including increased efficiency, scale-up and innovation to sustain and de-risk technology adoption.

“It’s true we have a major productivity challenge in Canada,” said Gervais. “We need to rethink agriculture productivity, which won’t look the same as 20 years ago.”

To help illustrate his point, Gervais compared Canada and the U.S., as our main competitor in the pork market. With the U.S. having eight times more people than Canada, it’s easy to see how we are naturally disadvantaged in scale; yet, the U.S. agri-food sector is considered only six times larger than Canada’s, with agri-food exports only five times larger.

Looking at the situation through an optimistic yet pragmatic lens, Gervais is confident that the Canadian agri-food industry can maintain a larger proportional impact on global markets, if the industry continues to adapt.

Regenerative agriculture pays off

Christian Grenier, President, Grenier Gardengeois & Stéphanie Taylor, CEO, Grenier Gardengeois explored their unique approach to regenerative agriculture.

Trained as an agricultural economist, Grenier worked for more than a decade in the banking sector before returning to his roots by taking over the family farm, representing the fourth generation at the helm. With a bachelor’s degree in business administration, Taylor first spent a decade working in marketing and then four years in the environmental sector before giving new meaning to her career.

Three years ago, Taylor took the leap into agriculture by taking over, alongside her husband.

“I say she’s my wife, but she’s my manager,” said Grenier. “She oversees different things and makes sure sufficient resources are available to move projects forward.”

Grenier Gardengeois’s business umbrella connects the farm, Fermes Grenier, with its incoming biogas generation component, known as GPK Bioenergie. The farm’s multi-purpose facility includes a pig barn with an upstairs greenhouse, and on the land, they have a composter, cover crops and biodiversity islands to showcase the natural beauty of the landscape. Currently, 22 staff help run the various business elements, which has grown from only eight staff in recent years.

Biomethanization uses inputs like manure, biosolids from secondary sludge, food waste and other organics in an anerobic digester to produce biogas and digestate, which can include fertilizer, animal bedding and even construction materials. The primary product, biogas, represents renewable energy and a revenue stream. GPK Bioenergie recently entered a 20-year partnership with Quebec-based natural gas provider, Énergir, and received provincial government financial support to construct the facility.

“Agriculture must play its part in Quebec’s energy independence,” said Grenier. “Heating a condo block in Montreal using existing sources is fine, but we can’t simply keep doing this to heat pig or poultry barns.”

Once fully operational, GPK Bioenergie will use Fermes Grenier’s hog slurry, along with manure from local dairy operations. For biosecurity reasons, GPK Bioenergie will not accept hog manure from other farms, and an on-farm truck wash will be part of their protocols.

“These projects make us who we are,” said Taylor.

The new plant is based off tried-and-tested technology used in France, which is expected to be able to process 100,000 tonnes of feedstock, resulting in the production of more than three million cubic metres of biogas – enough to heat the equivalent of more than 1,000 homes.

On the consumer-facing side, Grenier Gardengeois also operates a boutique shop selling their pork, chicken and other local artisanal products.

“It’s important that social acceptability is there,” said Taylor. “We take time to tell our neighbours about our processes.”

The underlying philosophy of Grenier Gardengeois is simple: change starts at home, and through intentional growth, change can influence others.

“People want to get on board,” said Grenier. “People want to believe.”

Quebec’s charm continues to attract interest

The Porc Show’s attractive mix of timely and important subject matter, networking opportunities and hospitality continues to draw guests from far and wide every year.

The second day of the event featured a plated lunch – the outcome of a culinary student contest that comes with a cash prize for those involved, along with the prestige of having their dish showcased for guests. This year’s lunch began with a tribute to David Boissonneault, former President, Éleveurs de porcs du Québec, who served in the role from 2011 to 2017. Boissonneault sadly passed away in 2025, but his legacy endures across the Canadian pork industry and beyond.

The show’s organizers, sponsors and presenters routinely churn out a high-calibre event, and Quebec City’s French-Canadian history and charm remain an enjoyable bonus for visitors.

By Mark Fynn

Editor’s note: Mark Fynn is Training Resources Coordinator, Canadian Pork Council (CPC). He can be contacted at ‘fynn@cpc-ccp.com.’

After nearly a decade of work involving more than 200 contributors, the Canadian Pork Council (CPC) has introduced PigLEARN: an online training platform designed to enhance skills and boost productivity in the Canadian pork industry. It offers a flexible, self-paced learning experience with a wide range of educational content, training modules and valuable resources.

The PigLEARN story is a proud example of how the sector came together to build something meant to last. Its platform and training are a culmination of efforts to develop the content that is now housed within PigLEARN. Thanks to input from across the sector, PigLEARN is now available to producers and industry partners all over Canada!

What does PigLEARN offer learners?

With PigLEARN, learners can track their progress and receive recognition for their achievements, empowering them to stay current and excel in their roles. The platform offers an administrative portal for organizations and companies to manage their own trainees, as well as a simplified portal for workers to log in and complete their assigned training.

The platform currently hosts 96 training modules developed by producers and other pork sector experts on a wide range of topics, including:

• Animal-based measures
• Biosecurity
• Enhanced biosecurity for disease outbreaks
• Euthanasia
• General farm tasks
• Group sow housing
• Growing pigs
• Pig handling
• Preparing to transport pigs
• Sow barn tasks
• Veterinary products

The full, detailed catalog of 96 modules can be found on the Canadian Pork Council (CPC) website at cpc-ccp.com/piglearn. Another 20 modules on worker health and safety are planned for release in early 2027.

The training modules aren’t just videos either; they feature advanced simulations and real-world scenarios to prepare workers for the barn. These come in the form of visual and interactive knowledge checks, which use a variety of question formats and approaches.

To ensure the platform was accessible for the sector’s diverse workforce, PigLEARN features narration in English with Spanish, Tagalog (Filipino) and Ukrainian subtitles, and narration in French with Spanish subtitles.

What does PigLEARN offer companies?

Beyond the many training modules, PigLEARN offers administrative abilities for companies to manage, track and incentivize the training progress of their workers. Company administrators can:

• Brand the platform with their company’s logo and colour scheme to truly make it their own.
• Create their own custom training content through the platform’s module builder, including drafting their own text and quizzes, and uploading their own videos, PDFs and presentations.
• Build and assign their own custom learning pathways, which can compile any combination of their own custom modules and PigLEARN pre-built modules.
• Register and manage their own workers, grouping them by work area or any other attribute and assigning them customized learning individually or by group.
• Track training progress of individuals within the platform or by exporting a CSV spreadsheet for potential integration with other software.
• Generate customized certificates with specific completion criteria that will be automatically granted to learners when they complete lessons.
• Promote healthy competition through the optional leaderboard function, which allows users to decide whether to share their achievements with other learners in the company, their province or the whole country.

How was PigLEARN training developed?

Historically, pork producer training resources were developed independently in each respective province; however, in the late 2010s, provincial pork organizations noticed a fair amount of redundancy between what each province was developing. On top of that, it was hard for each province to devote much staff time to training development. Collectively with CPC, the sector discussed the possibility of pooling time, talent and funding nationally to develop high-quality training resources informed by expertise from across Canada.

In 2019, CPC received federal funding for a multi-year training development project. The project began with a steering committee meeting of pork producers, veterinarians and other pork sector experts, whose task it was to decide which training topics to prioritize first. Year one of the project focused on biosecurity, humane transport and euthanasia. Each topic area required its own working group of five to 10 people from across Canada with expertise in that specific area. The first three working groups were established by early 2020.

Although the idea of a PigLEARN training platform was floating around since the beginning of the project, it wasn’t decided on until 2022. CPC partnered with Enable Education from Milton, Ontario to develop and host the platform, using training videos previously developed collaboratively with Prairie Swine Centre (PSC), Centre de développement du porc du Québec (CDPQ), and Équipe québécoise de santé porcine (EQSP). The contributions of PSC, CDPQ and EQSP were foundational to developing the platform, which was officially launched in March 2025.

Since launching, another seven working groups started and completed work on different topics, bringing the total number of PigLEARN training modules to 96 and counting.

Kudos to the working group members who have devoted and continue to devote time and effort above and beyond their already full-time schedules. They are involved from conception to completion, including reviewing content outlines, scripts, videos, knowledge checks and finalized modules.

How can learners register on PigLEARN?

To register on PigLEARN, or to find out more information, contact your provincial pork organization. Although CPC would love to offer the platform to producers for free, it is important the platform be sustainable.

The intent of PigLEARN is not to make a profit but to build and maintain a safe and skilled workforce today and into the future. Subscriptions are priced so the platform runs cost-neutral, ensuring it can be maintained, and that new or updated modules can be added regularly.

The main subscription option is a 12-month subscription that gives someone full access to complete all PigLEARN training modules (and any company-uploaded modules) for $51.25 plus tax. Another option for companies who want to use the platform to provide company-uploaded training only to certain workers is a 12-month subscription for $15.38 plus tax, but these workers will not have access to any of the PigLEARN training modules.  Subscriptions are only required when someone tries to view the training content. Companies can still log into the platform for free to complete administrative tasks, and learners can log in for free to see what is available as well as their past training achievements if their subscription expires.

PigLEARN is a testament to industry collaboration

The strength of the Canadian pork industry shines when we work together – no turfiness, no ego.  PigLEARN is a proud example of how the sector can come together and built something to last.

PigLEARN’s platform and high-quality training involved the efforts of many people and years to see it come to fruition. Thanks to input from across the sector, PigLEARN is now available to producers and industry partners across Canada.

By Janet Krayden

Editor’s note: Janet Krayden is CEO, Crystal Clear Communications. She can be contacted at ‘janet@mushrooms.ca.’

Canadian agriculture and agri-food consistently punch above their weight. Agriculture and agri-food contribute $111 billion per year – more than $30 million per day – to the Canadian economy, or over six per cent of our GDP. However, there are still more than 16,000 job vacancies on Canadian farms, and this labour crisis is resulting in avoidable financial strain.

With that considered, you would think that smoothing out the regulatory red tape – especially on access to labour for farmers – should be highest priority for federal and provincial governments when the shortage is both critical and chronic, proven with many years of data and evidence. When COVID-19 challenged supply chains, action was taken to secure our food supply, but this level of urgency and priority for the sector appears to have come to an end.

Producers and workers need new solutions

Agriculture is theoretically prioritized in the immigration regulations, but it continues to be squeezed by on all sides. Agriculture and agri-food businesses, and their workers, are getting caught in immigration dragnet of restrictive changes that will reduce Canadian production and processing capacity now and in the future, if not reversed. 

Across the country, for years, agriculture agri-food businesses have been vocal about the reality of their workforces: when Canadians do not apply for jobs, programs are needed to support permanent residency for workers, not just the Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP). Even getting permits approved under the TFWP Agriculture Stream is an increasing struggle. 

The federal Agri-Food Immigration Pilot program was launched in 2020 in response to COVID-19 supply chain challenges in the sector. To the detriment and dismay of the sector, it closed to new applications in May 2025 after reaching the 1,010-maximum permanent resident threshold as defined by the federal government’s 2025–2027 Immigration Levels Plan. To that point, the program supported more than 4,500 workers and their family members, which included the extension of open work permits to spouses of Agriculture Stream workers.

Some of the changes for other immigration programs are really needed. Nearly four million international students were allowed to come into Canada between 2020 and 2024. Over the same time, the International Mobility Program had 2.5 million entrants. Unlike the TFWP, the International Mobility Program does not require Labour Market Impact Assessments (LMIAs), making it easier for employers. Not to mention, LMIA housing guidelines for the TFWP Agriculture Stream currently require employers to retain empty housing when workers choose to live on their own off-farm, which is wasteful and costly.

The TFWP had a target of bring in 82,000 workers in 2025, but this has been cut down to 60,000 total, with the Agriculture Stream likely included in that amount with all other sectors, along with construction and meat processing. This is very concerning, because the Agriculture Stream has about 40,000 workers coming in every year and it continues to grow at a slow and gradual rate, due to attrition of retiring farmers and farm workers. Will more permits be refused under the Agriculture Steam, even for those already working on Canadian farms?

Additional hiccups under the Agriculture Stream include the downgrading of the livestock specialist or technician category from higher-skilled to lower-skilled. This cuts off immigration access through the Provincial Nominee Program and Express Entry programs that generally only prioritize or accept the occupations classified as higher-skilled. This also affects the General Farm Worker wage within the federal Job Bank, which could increase by $4 per hour or more in some provinces, complicating an already difficult situation.

Industry advocacy remains important

Farmers and their organizations need to continue speaking up for their access to labour with new permanent solutions. Even under the TFWP, caps under the Agriculture Stream need to be kept separate from the Seasonal Agriculture Worker Program.

If action isn’t taken, this will only worsen, and our sector will continue to be squeezed out of these programs. The result will be a drastic reduction in production, with workers being sent home or not able to fill existing and new job vacancies. As a consequence, Canada may become more like the U.S., with an underground farm workforce, something no-one – including Ottawa – should want to see.

If agriculture and agri-food can come together on labour, there is still time to turn this ship around to prioritize our sector again through effective programs that support us when Canadians alone cannot fill the needed roles.