Health Canada and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) has deemed these pigs, developed by U.K.-based Genus PLC and PIC (Pig Improvement Company), safe for use in food and feed.

Environment and Climate Change Canada and Health Canada also ruled that environmental and human health risks were no different than with pigs currently available. The CFIA and Health Canada also found no difference in nutritional value, according to a Jan. 23 news release.

Matt Culbertson, PIC’s Chief Operating Officer, called it a milestone.

“We have spent years conducting extensive research, validating our findings and working with the Canadian government to gain approval,” he said in a Jan. 23 news release.

The Canadian pork sector attributes $130 million in annual losses to PRRS, which can cause fever, breathing problems, stillborn piglets and death.

No special label required

Genus PLC doesn’t intend to sell the PRRS resistant pigs until further regulatory authorization in other key markets, the federal government said.

“We are committed to the responsible and intentional introduction of the PRRS-resistant pig around the globe. Gaining approval in Canada is an important step in this process, and we are working with additional countries to gain regulatory approval and protect global trade prior to initiating sales and delivery,” said Culbertson.

The pigs have been permitted for food use in the U.S., Brazil, Colombia, and the Dominican Republic.

The gene edited pigs won’t require special labelling because Health Canada found no health and safety concerns.

“There is a transparency crisis in our food system,” said CBAN co-ordinator Lucy Sharratt. “If the government is going to allow companies to produce genetically engineered animals and plants, these foods have to be labelled for consumers.”

Organic groups and companies have also raised concerns over the lack of mandatory labelling for foods from gene-edited plants and animals.

Health Canada has been working with the Canadian General Standards Board since November on a public review of the National Standard for Labelling and Advertising of Foods.

According to a 2025 study from PIC, consumers will accept gene edited meat so long as they are educated on the reasoning and how it works.

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• The February live cattle contract gained 2.525 cents per pound at 234.900 cents. Feeder cattle were up 0.900 cents in the March contract at 360.175 cents per pound.  
• Extreme cold temperatures and precipitation ranging from snow in the north to freezing rain in the south may disrupt cattle markets heading into next week, accounting for some of Friday’s activity as participants squared positions. 
• Positioning ahead of the monthly cattle on feed report from the U.S. Department of Agriculture was another feature. The report was released after the markets closed, with placements of 1.55 million head in December down five per cent from the same month a year ago. 
• There were a total of 11.5 million head of cattle and calves on feed in the U.S. as of Jan. 1, 2026. That was down three per cent from the previous year. 
• The USDA reported wholesale boxed beef prices were mixed, with choice boxes up $1.25 at $368.70 per hundredweight and select boxes down $0.43 at $361.30/cwt in the morning report. 
• Lean hog prices were weaker Friday, backing away from nearby highs with the nearby February futures down 0.125 cents per pound at 88.350 cents per pound and the April futures down 0.175 cents at 96.175 cents per pound.  

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• The February live cattle contract lost 0.725 cents per pound at 232.375 cents. Feeder cattle were down 0.100 cents in the March contract at 359.275 cents per pound.
• The United States Department of Agriculture’s monthly cattle on feed report will be released after the markets close on Friday. Analysts are expecting declines in both new placements and the total amount of cattle in feedlots.
• Tight cattle supplies in the U.S. and expectations for rising beef demand remained supportive, according to analysts.
• Extreme cold in the forecast for much of the U.S. Plains may stress livestock in the region. Ice and snow is also expected to disrupt transportation.
• The USDA reported wholesale boxed beef prices were mixed, with choice boxes up $1.34 at $367.45 per hundredweight and select boxes down $0.72 at $361.73/cwt.
• Lean hog prices were stronger on Thursday, hitting new contract highs in some of the deferred months. The nearby February futures were up 0.625 cents per pound at 88.475 cents per pound, while the April futures were up 0.750 cents at 96.350 cents per pound.

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• The February live cattle contract lost 3.900 cents per pound at 232.150 cents. Feeder cattle were down 8.100 cents in the March contract at 356.450 cents per pound.
• Tight cattle supplies in the U.S. and expectations for rising beef demand should remain supportive for cattle prices going forward, said analysts.
• Mexico confirmed eight new cases of New World screwworm near the Texas border.
• The USDA reported wholesale boxed beef prices were higher, with choice boxes up $1.61 at $362.38 per hundredweight and select boxes up $0.48 at $360.19/cwt.
• Lean hog prices were up 0.475 cents per pound in the February contract at 88.275 cents per pound. Rising carcass cutout prices were tied to the strength.

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Research into alternative lactation housing system, passive barn-cooling technologies to reduce heat stress, and advanced food safety protocols to improve pork quality was also funded.

Swine Innovation Porc announced four new research projects under its Advancing Swine Research initiative. Swine Innovation Porc is a research coordination organization funded by Canada’s national and provincial pork boards.

The four projects are also supported by the federally-established Pork Promotion and Research Agency. Swine Innovation Porc will contribute up to $488,347 for a total of $1.18 million in total project funding.

The Advanced Swine Research initiative supports one to three-year projects running from 2025 to 2028.

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The February live cattle contract lost 0.475 cents per pound at 226.675 cents. Feeder cattle were down 2.875 cents in the March contract at 330.425 cents per pound.

An estimated 600,000 head of cattle were federally inspected for slaughter last week, reported the U.S. Department of Agriculture. That was down slightly on the week.

The USDA reported wholesale boxed beef prices were mixed, with choice boxes down $0.30 at $360.90 per hundredweight and select boxes up $1.21 at $348.60/cwt.

Lean hog prices were up 0.125 cents per pound in the February contract at 82.400 cents per pound. The USDA reported federally inspected hog slaughter last week at 2.702 million head, which was up by 98,210 head from the same week a year ago.

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WHY IT MATTERS: African swine fever has been devastating for pork sectors in countries where infections have been found. Wild pigs — which were found to be infected in Spain — are also a potential disease vector of concern for the Canadian hog industry.

Spain, the European Union’s top pork producer, is trying to reassure trading partners after 13 wild boars tested positive for the virus in hills outside the city. The disease is harmless to humans but can be deadly for pigs and wild boars.

Genome sequencing by a Madrid lab showed the strain was “very similar” to one first detected in Georgia in 2007 and now widely used in research and vaccine development, the ministry said. Other cases in Europe belong to a different genetic group.

“The discovery of a virus similar to the one that circulated in Georgia therefore does not rule out the possibility that its origin may lie in a biological containment facility,” the Agriculture Ministry said.

Until now, Catalan officials suspected the virus had spread after a wild boar ate contaminated food, possibly a sandwich brought from abroad by a truck driver.

“The report suggests that it is possible that the origin of the virus is not in animals or animal products from any of the countries where the infection is currently present,” the ministry said.

It did not name any laboratories in its statement. But Catalonia’s top agriculture official, Oscar Ordeig, said the regional government would open an investigation of the state-funded Centre for Research in Animal Health (Cresa).

The centre is located next to the Autonomous University of Barcelona and within the six-km confinement area imposed by authorities after the outbreak. Ordeig said other laboratories could also be investigated.

The World Organization of Animal Health in 2017 designated Cresa as a research centre into swine fevers.

The laboratory did not immediately respond to a request for comment but it told the news verification website Maldita.es it had found no evidence of being the source of the outbreak.

The “Georgia 2007” strain of swine fever spread to Armenia, Azerbaijan, Russia and Belarus and reached eastern EU states in 2014, according to the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development.

It reached China in 2018, causing huge losses. Chinese pig meat production dropped by 27 per cent in 2019.

— Reporting by Charlie Devereux, Joan Faus and Jesus Calero

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The February live cattle contract lost 1.925 cents per pound at 215.925 cents. Feeder cattle were down 2.900 cents in the January contract at 321.075 cents per pound.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture reported wholesale boxed beef prices were stronger, with choice boxes up $2.07 at $368.89 per hundredweight and select boxes up $6.83 at $357.88/cwt.

Lean hog prices were down 0.700 cents per pound in the February contract at 80.300 cents per pound.

Spain has deployed its military to help contain an African swine fever outbreak in parts of the country. However, pork exports to China from non-infected regions resumed Monday after being halted on Friday.

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This decision is regarding the regulation of food derived from somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT) cloned cattle, swine and their offspring.

Health Canada’s announcement to indefinitely pause its proposed update is based on the volume and nature of feedback from industry stakeholders as well as public pushback. Public dissenters have said Canadians could soon be eating cloned beef and pork without knowing it. Health Canada said there are currently no approved foods from cloned products on the market in Canada.

DuBreton, North America’s leading suppliers of organic pork, approved the decision.

A recent survey by duBreton, which is based in Québec, concluded that 74 per cent of consumers are concerned about gene-edited pork in their food supply.

“Canadians expect clarity, transparency and meaningful consultations on issues that directly touch their food supply,” duBreton president Vincent Breton said in a press release in late November.

“As producers, we consider it our responsibility and believe our governing food authorities should too.”

Canadian organic standards don’t allow gene-edited crops, livestock or other material to be used in production.

DuBreton has been active in leading the charge against the use of SCNT technologies and is opposed to gene editing in livestock production.

Gene-editing technologies are not included in the pause to the novel food policy and are still under active regulatory consideration. Discussion and potential approvals for meat derived from gene-edited livestock that could enter the Canadian market continue, despite clear and overwhelming public concern.

The cloned-animal, novel food pause underscores the importance of producer and consumer engagement in food policy.

In September 2025, duBreton called for transparency around pork from gene-edited pigs if the pigs should ever be approved for the Canadian market.

“Without enforceable standards and transparent labelling, consumers cannot be certain the pork they purchase hasn’t been altered through genetic engineering,” said Breton in an Aug. 27 news release.

This past summer, the federal government completed public consultation around the regulation of pigs resistant to porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome due to gene editing.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration cleared the pigs for use in the American food supply early in 2025, announcing gene edits are safe for pigs and for humans who consume pork.

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Jeff Traeger, President and Chief Executive Officer with UFCW Local 832, said the strike vote was a first for the plant and was taken in response to Maple Leaf’s refusal to take the bargaining process seriously so far.

Maple Leaf has been pushing major concessions at the table, and the union members have shown they are united and want a fair deal, he said.

The union and Maple Leaf were back at the bargaining table Monday, Nov. 17. Negotiations are expected to continue right up to the current contract’s expiry on Dec. 31.

UFCW 832’s bargaining committee is made up of seven members from various departments at the plant, and three staff members from the union. The committee first started to collect proposals from the membership in February and brought these proposals to the bargaining table in May.

The Lagomidiere plant in Winnipeg produces and packages pork products, including bacon.

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