Ready or not, it’s coming to our grocery stores. Last year’s September 19, 2025 posting “Gene-edited pork coming to Canadian consumers—soon (maybe)” now has its companion piece. A January 23, 2026 Health Canada news release announces approval,
Canada approves pigs resistant to porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome viruses for use in food and feed
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Porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome viruses (PRRSV) are one of the most devastating classes of viruses affecting farmed pigs, representing significant losses for Canada’s producers and higher prices at the store for Canadian consumers.
Today, Health Canada and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) announced the completion of independent, comprehensive safety assessments on pigs resistant to PRRSV following applications from Genus PLC [sic] and PIC [Pig Improvement Company] Canada, Ltd., respectively. Health Canada has concluded that foods made from these pigs are as safe and nutritious for people to eat as pork currently available in Canada. The CFIA has confirmed that these pigs are also safe and effective for use in livestock feeds.
Improving resistance to PRRSV in pigs will help farmers avoid illness in their herds from these viruses, reduce antibiotic use, and improve animal welfare, while supporting a more stable, affordable and sustainable food supply.
Genus PLC’s PRRSV-resistant pigs are already permitted for food use in the U.S., Brazil, Colombia and the Dominican Republic. Genus PLC has indicated that even though Canada has approved the sale of PRRSV resistant pigs, the company does not intend to sell these pigs before further regulatory authorization in other key markets. The company and Health Canada are committed to the highest level of transparency and will communicate to the public when this new technology enters the Canadian market.
While genetically engineered foods are considered as safe and nutritious as conventional foods, the Government of Canada recognizes that information about genetic engineering is important. That is why we have been working with the Canadian General Standards Board since November [2025?] on a public review of the National Standard for labelling and advertising of foods that are, and are not, products of genetic engineering. The CFIA uses this Standard to provide its guidance to companies on the labelling of foods.
Quick facts
- In 2024, the swine industry generated over $6.3 billion in farm cash receipts and Canada produced 2.34 million tonnes of pork and exported 1.45 million tonnes of pork.
- As of January 1, 2025, there were 13.9M hogs on 6,885 Canadian farms.
- PRRSV infections can cause severe symptoms in pigs like breathing problems, fever, the inability to eat, and can lead to stillborn piglets and death.
- There are currently no effective treatments, and vaccination has only been partially effective.
- In Canada, food labelling is required when there are well-established health risks or significant changes to the nutritional qualities of the food. For example, an allergen in a food must be labelled to alert consumers of the risk.
- Because Health Canada found no health and safety concerns, no special labelling is required for foods from these PRRSV-resistant pigs.
- In addition to the assessments noted above, in December 2025, the New Substances program—jointly administered by Environment and Climate Change Canada and Health Canada—determined that environmental and human health risks from indirect exposure to these pigs is no different from pigs currently available in Canada.
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Amina Zafar’s January 23, 2026 article of Canadian Broadcasting News (CBC) news online offers, in addition to information from the news release, detail about a previous attempt to introduce genetically modified food to Canadians, Note: Links have been removed,
Food made from pigs engineered to be resistant to a porcine virus are as safe and nutritious to eat as pork currently on the market, Health Canada said Friday.
Federal regulators announced pigs resistant to porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome viruses (PRRSV) — which it called a devastating class of viruses in farmed pigs — are safe to use in food and livestock feeds.
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More than 25 years ago, scientists at Memorial University in Newfoundland developed a salmon that would become the first transgenic food animal approved for sale in Canada. Sold as AquAdvantage Salmon, the DNA came from Pacific salmon and the eel-like ocean pout.
At the time, the Council of Canadians said it was concerned about the amount of water extracted, effluent and transport of eggs between facilities.
Unlike the genetically modified salmon, the PRRSV-resistant pigs were created using CRISPR gene-editing technology that makes precise genetic changes without introducing genetic material from another species, scientists say.
“This is the first gene-edited animal that has been approved for commercial sale in Canada,” said Gwendolyn Blue, a professor in the geography department at the University of Calgary who studies the politics and values surrounding gene editing.
While Blue recognizes the advantages PRRSV-resistant pigs could bring, she’s also notes there are ethical, moral, cultural and political questions surrounding the approval, such as how assessments about safety were made, as well as Canada’s updated biotechnology regulations.
“One of the concerns that people have had within a Canadian context is labeling,” she said. “There is no mandatory labeling and this is something that is currently under review.”
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While there is a Winnipeg-based PIC (Pig Improvement Company) branch, the North American offshoot of the company (UK’s Genus plc) is headquartered in the US state of Tennessee. I quite appreciate the detail offered in the PIC January 23, 2026 news release,
Today Health Canada and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) approved PIC’s PRRS-resistant pigs for sale as food in Canada after rigorous and thorough review. Additionally, Environment & Climate Change Canada (ECCC) conducted its own review of the research and data and concluded that PRRS-resistant pigs may now be manufactured [?] or imported in Canada.
“We have spent years conducting extensive research, validating our findings and working with the Canadian government to gain approval,” said Matt Culbertson, PIC’s Chief Operating Officer. “Today marks a major milestone for consumers, farmers, and the entire pork industry who have hoped for relief from PRRS for decades.”
Review of Research and Data Confirms Safety
Health Canada and CFIA conducted scientific assessments that ensured the pigs are safe for consumption and do not differ from other pigs available on the market. Their evaluation led them to conclude that aside from the precise deletion of a small part of a gene involved in PRRS infection, the PRRS-resistant pigs are no different than other pigs.
Health Canada and CFIA further concluded that there are no differences in the nutritional value of the pork from PRRS-resistant pigs compared to other pork available for consumption.
How Removing Animal Disease Can Improve Animal Welfare
Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome (PRRS) is one of the most devastating, global swine diseases. It causes needless suffering and premature death for pigs, negatively impacts animal welfare, exacerbates the need for antibiotics and increases the environmental impact of raising pigs.
“Addressing PRRS can allow us to improve animal welfare, reduce the need for antibiotics and decrease the environmental impact of raising pigs,” said Todd Wilken, PIC Director of North America Sales. “In fact, recent research indicates that PRRS increases the need for antibiotics by more than 2 times compared to pigs without PRRS.”1
PIC Has Earned Regulatory Clearance in a Number of Countries
Canada joins a growing list of countries that have deemed the gene edit safe and effective. The U.S. FDA approved the gene edit in April 2025, while Colombia, Brazil, Dominican Republic and Argentina have issued positive determinations for PRRS-resistant pigs, meaning those countries have recognized that the pigs are not GMO and should be treated the same as any other pigs.
“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.
PIC is a wholly owned subsidiary of Genus, a UK-based company, publicly traded on the London Stock Exchange.
Canadian consumers indicate above average purchase likelihood for pork from gene-edited pigs
Research conducted by Circana [US market research company] and commissioned by PIC in late 2025 found that there is an above average likelihood that Canadian consumers will purchase pork from gene-edited pigs.
The research polled more than 5,000 pork consumers from eight key countries, representative across genders and ages 18 to 70.
Circana found that 90% of Canadian consumers are open to purchasing pork from gene-edited pigs and that responsibly reducing the need for antibiotics ranked as the top motivator.
Visit PRRSResistantPig.com for more information.
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About PIC
PIC (Pig Improvement Company) is the global leader in swine genetics. PIC provides genetically superior breeding stock to pig producers and supports them with technical services to help them realize genetic potential. PIC is a subsidiary of Genus, a UK-based company with a vision to pioneer animal genetic improvement to help nourish the world. www.pic.com
About Genus
Genus is a world-leading animal genetics company, supplying high-quality breeding animals with desirable characteristics to farmers, and enabling them to produce better quality meat and milk more efficiently to feed the world more sustainably. PIC is the porcine division within Genus. www.genusplc.com
Sources:
- Isadora Machado, Thomas Petznick, Ana Paula S. Poeta Silva, Chong Wang, Locke Karriker, Daniel C.L. Linhares, Gustavo S. Silva. “Assessment of changes in antibiotic use in grow-finish pigs after the introduction of PRRSV in a naïve farrow-to-finish system.” Preventive Veterinary Medicine, 2024. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.prevetmed.2024.106350
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A bit disturbing, the change in terminology, that is. Since when do farmers manufacture pigs? Don’t they breed and/or grow pigs?
As for Canadians, this gene-edited pork will not be labelled under the current rules. Although that could change it may take a while as the government of Canada’s “Canadian General Standards Board conducts, since November [2025?], a public review of the National Standard for labelling and advertising of foods that are, and are not, products of genetic engineering.”