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Union, farm groups say cuts at federal agriculture centres will set sector back

On Jan. 26, 2026, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada announced it is closing seven research operations and reducing 665 department positions, with notices sent to close to 1,050 employees.
The department framed the reductions as shrinking the public service and cutting research duplication to better use money, while Milton Dyck said "there is simply no more room to cut" after years of staffing reductions.
Research centres in Guelph, Ont.; Quebec City; Lacombe, Alta. and four satellite farms across Nova Scotia, Saskatchewan and Manitoba will close, ending programs like the organic/regenerative project in Swift Current, Saskatchewan.
The Agriculture Union said members learned of the cuts at the same time with no notice, that 'our members are reeling,' and the Canadian Federation of Agriculture pledged to press Ottawa to protect research.
With food prices rising and food-security concerns growing, Serge Buy, CEO of the Agri-Food Innovation Council, said expanding innovation capacity is essential as agricultural research delivers high returns.

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