The Agricultural Producers Association of Saskatchewan (APAS) is sounding the alarm over Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada’s (AAFC) decision to close seven federal research sites and eliminate roughly 665 positions nationwide, warning the move could deal lasting damage to Canadian agriculture.
In a release Wednesday, APAS said it is calling on the federal government to release an immediate impact assessment outlining how it plans to achieve its innovation and adaptation goals in the wake of the cutbacks.
Among the affected facilities are the Scott and Indian Head research farms in Saskatchewan, which provide producers with agronomic data tailored to local growing conditions. APAS said the closures remove critical public research infrastructure that has supported farm productivity, sustainability, and regional adaptation for decades.
“To claim these cuts are aligned with a ‘core mandate’ of innovation misleads the agricultural sector,” said APAS president Bill Prybylski. “Closing these sites is the opposite of progress. You cannot claim global leadership in sustainable agriculture while bulldozing the very farms and labs required for discovery and adaptation.”
Prybylski described the decision as trading long-term benefits for short-term budget savings, warning it will create an “innovation vacuum” that the private sector is unlikely to fill. He added that by the time producers feel the full impact, the damage may be irreversible.
The concerns extend beyond Saskatchewan. Prairie facilities in Lacombe, Alta., a major hub for forage and meat science, and Portage la Prairie, Man., are also slated for closure. Research and development centres in Guelph, Ont., and Quebec City, Que., are likewise expected to be shut down.
APAS said it is especially troubled by the timing of the cuts. The Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership (SCAP) places significant emphasis on adaptation and resiliency as core objectives, yet the closures directly undermine those goals, it said. Farmers are being asked to adopt climate-smart practices that require targeted research support — “research that will no longer exist if these facilities are shut down.”
AAFC plans to reduce its overall budget by 15% over the next three years.
The Canadian Wheat Research Coalition (CWRC) has also raised concerns, saying the cutbacks could undermine Canada’s long-term research capacity.
