Farmscape for May 27, 2026

A professor with the University of Saskatchewan suggests the planned closure of the Lacombe Research and Development Centre places Canadian swine research programing at risk.
In January, as part of a broader federal mandate to reduce the size of the public service, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada announced the imminent closure of the Lacombe Research and Development Centre.
Dr. Stuart Smyth, a Professor in the Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics at the University of Saskatchewan and a co-author of the report "From Research to Results: Measuring the Impact of Pork Research in Canada," suggests limiting federal government swine research capability to a single location puts swine research at risk and jeopardizes the global competitiveness of Canadian pork.

Quote-Dr. Stuart Smyth-University of Saskatchewan:
Canada relies on Lacombe and Sherbrook, Quebec for the vast majority of research funded within the federal government.
By saying we're going to transition away from Lacombe and shut that research center down, we'll pull all of the synergies together and focus on just doing swine research in Sherbrook, Quebec.
I see this as increasing  the risk probably of swine research in Canada.
If it’s all concentrated in one facility in one location, if there was a disease outbreak or a fire that breaks out and destroys a significant chunk of the facility then Canada's overall swine research is going to be adversely impacted because it's going to essentially shut that one facility down for a period of months, or in the worst case, a number of years.
As one of the most competitive swine producers on the planet, Canada needs to have that continual ongoing research process.
And, an adverse event like a disease or a fire would really decommission Canada's only remaining swine research facility for an untold period of time which then jeopardizes the competitiveness of all of the swine producers in Canada.

Dr. Smyth says over the 14 years covered by the report, the Lacombe Research and Development Centre has contributed to successful research aimed at improving animal welfare, increasing the nutritional content of pork or improving herd health.
The report "From Research to Results: Measuring the Impact of Pork Research in Canada," can be accessed through Swine Innovation Porc.
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Bruce Cochrane.

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