That’s despite the effects of avian influenza on the country’s flock.

WHY IT MATTERS: Canadian egg producers have capitalized on demand for economical protein.

Egg production expanded by 7.6 per cent last year to 937 million dozen, with per capita egg consumption on the rise, Egg Farmers of Canada reported. During 2025, 1.5 million hens were temporarily added to the system to meet demand.

That included annual egg sales rising 5.8 per cent, with foodservice demand up 2.6 per cent. Also, the number of households consuming six or fewer eggs per week was down four per cent, which Egg Farmers of Canada attributed in part to its new ‘Eggs Everywhere’ campaign.

Demand for economical protein was also a boon to egg demand, FCC reported in February.

To combat salmonella enteritidis, all hens in Canada will now have to be vaccinated against that infection.

The phasing out of conventional housing systems continued with 39.5 per cent of the national flock still in such systems, down from 42 per cent in 2024 and 52.9 per cent in 2021.

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The project’s lead researcher is so excited she’s putting off retirement.

“I want the first experiment in a system like this. This is so exciting,” Karen Schwean-Lardner said in a University of Saskatchewan news release.

Earlier this month, the Canadian Foundation for Innovation announced $6.2 million in funding to build a state-of-the-art poultry laying facility at the University. The foundation is a federal government-created non-profit set up in 1997 to fund research infrastructure in Canada.

WHY IT MATTERS: The proposed facility will allow researchers to improve poultry barn lighting, housing and food systems for better animal welfare and egg production.

The Saskatchewan Egg Producers contributed $3 million while the university’s agriculture and bioresource department added $1 million.

“This will move us so far forward in poultry research,” said Schwean-Lardner in the release. Schwean-Lardner is a professor in the university’s department of animal and poultry science.

The nearly 24,000-square-foot facility is set to include three types of hen housing: enriched, free run and free-range. Ten individual housing rooms will have controls for lighting, temperature and other environmental factors.

“Each one is like a little mini-barn,” Schwean-Larder told media.

“Big data is getting more attention these days. We have a lot of data that can be gathered over time, and this unit is going to allow us to manage that data and collect it over a long period of time,” assistant professor Deborah Adewole said. “There are going to be a lot of new things that we can do for poultry research.”

The facility will also include viewing rooms so public groups — for example, schoolchildren — can see the chickens and housing systems while reducing biosecurity risks.

“We can control the environment. Right now, we cannot do that in the same way,” said Adewole. “This facility is one of its kind in Canada. There are other universities that have built new facilities, but this one is encompassing all systems and has space for public viewing systems as well — which is a first in Canada.”

Schwean-Larder said her first experiment would look at the effects of light on the hens and will involve researchers from the U.S.

“To be able to do that kind of research with an international perspective, I can’t stand it. I’m losing my voice because I’m excited.”

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Their operation was on full display to kick off the 2026 Holistic Management Conference, as it has been a 50-year journey transitioning from continuous grazing to rotational (adaptive multi-paddock), along with an extra emphasis on proper stockmanship.

Andrea Stroeve-Sawa’s great grandfather Albert made his way from Sweden on the Romeo at age 14 years to escape the European potato famine in the mid-1800s. Working hard for more than a decade, he eventually would buy livestock with the brand Shipwheel, which started with humble beginnings to become the operation it is today.

WHY IT MATTERS: Shipwheel Cattle Feeders is a case study in Canada where holistic regenerative practices can be financially successful in running an agricultural operation.

The cattle of today are treated under the guidance of Andrea’s father, Blake Holtman, who was introduced to holistic management practices he encountered at a conference in the early 1980s in Albuquerque, N.M., with guest speaker Allan Savory from South Africa.

“I was very blessed to be born into a place that was already taking on holistic management decisions. I joke with people that I kind of learned holistic management by osmosis,” said Stroeve-Sawa, prior to a producer tour.

Andrea showed a slide of land in rough shape, stocking cattle at 2.36 animal days per acre in 1982, showing its progression to rotational grazing (adaptive multi-paddock) instead of continuous.

Context matters with the southern Alberta area featuring very sandy soil, with droughts and high winds eroding the soil in the brittle environment. The area struggled at first with kochia propping up, as Andrea’s father returned to Savory for guidance to inquire what he was doing wrong. It was not a mineral or water cycle problem, but rather bringing more animals into the equation.

“Allan just kind of chuckled and said you have a succession problem, you need more animals. (My Dad) nearly fell off his chair. He said, I don’t know how to do that many animals. He didn’t have enough money to buy the animals, so we got partnered with a customer, and he put cattle on and went to 800-head. Once they increased the animals, that’s when the changes really started to happen,” said Stroeve-Sawa.

“Grass is starting to come in, that was right after they had increased to 800 animals. Keep in mind that was in 1987, so completely unheard of.”

The ranch went from 2.36 stock days/ac. to 93.5 stock days/ac. in 2015 in the area, making for an 3,862 per cent increase in three decades.

Those extra cattle are tended to with more loving care and with proper low-stress stockmanship for their mental health, which has been proven to aid their physical health. It involved forgoing antibiotics in the natural program that was used at one time, before more traditional methods now. When the natural cattle were fed, Stroeve-Sawa sighted 0.5 per cent death loss on the heifers, with steers at one per cent. For the animals who got sick and were treated, four per cent of heifers were treated with eight per cent of steers on 4,435-head.

Low-stress stockmanship involves handling with a focus on health, learning pressure and release, making for herd confidence in its surroundings. Staff do between 30-40 hours of continuous training, handling the cattle in how to stop, turn, slow down and speed up in a relaxed state of mind travelling in herds and alone.

An incidence of a new arrival of cattle at 2:30 a.m. was filmed at 8:30 a.m. and then again at 4:30 p.m. the same day after tending to the herd using proper stockmanship for the day. Early in the morning, zombie-like frantic pacing looking for their mothers with non-strop mooing turned to minimal noise and relaxed unified movement.

“Our goal when we first get arrivals like that is to have them rest, nourishment, and confidence,” said Stroeve-Sawa.

“A key for rest is to have them bedded down and when they tuck their heads right in, that’s the sign they are decreasing cortisol. Even in humans, if we increase stress in the body, it increases cortisol, which decreases the immune system, which also increases stress which re-releases more cortisol. Our whole goal when we have newly arrived calves is to stop that negative cycle of stress, and we do it using proper stockmanship.”

Depending on number of cattle and winter conditions, Shipwheel Feeders averages about 10,000 tonnes of compost to sell to farmers for their high-value crops of potatoes, pumpkins, corn, sugar beets and onions in the southern Alberta area.

When COVID hit, Shipwheel was afraid of the strain in how to manage its operations through a pandemic, and looked for alternate revenue streams to keep it afloat. It led to the birth of the Green Mercantile, an on-farm store where the system meets the community. It sells Shipwheel’s pasture-raised eggs, compost and beef products to go along with 30 different Canadian entrepreneurs who make everything from jam to barbecue sauce.

“It’s been a really great blessing for me to be able to work with my dad. I think a big part of how Dad and I work well together is that we both have an understanding of the goal and what I value and what he values, and we both respect that,” said Stroeve-Sawa, adding holistic measures have been used in an operation that has increased its land holdings by about 3,000 per cent over the years according to Andrea.

“It has been a lot easier to bring the now fifth generation in with that understanding already. “

Shipwheel Cattle Feeders case study takeaways

• Succession through density: After struggling with soil erosion and weeds, the operation shifted from continuous grazing to a high-density rotational system. By increasing animal presence, they moved from 2.36 to 93.5 stock days per acre — a 3,862 per cent increase in productivity.

• The power of ‘stockmanship’: The ranch prioritizes low-stress handling to lower cortisol levels in cattle. This mental-health focus translates to physical health, resulting in remarkably low death losses (0.5 per cent–1 per cent) and reduced reliance on antibiotics.

• Financial viability of regeneration: Shipwheel serves as a primary Canadian case study proving that holistic practices are not just environmental — they’re financially successful, allowing the operation to expand its land holdings by 3,000 per cent over several decades.

• Revenue diversification: To build resilience against market shocks like the COVID pandemic, the ranch branched out into selling high-value compost (averaging 10,000 tonnes annually) and launching the Green Mercantile, an on-farm store supporting 30 Canadian entrepreneurs.

• Generational osmosis: The transition to a fifth generation of farmers is facilitated by a shared holistic framework, ensuring that values regarding land health and animal welfare are respected across age gaps.

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Alexandra Harlander is a professor in the department of animal biosciences at the University of Guelph’s Ontario Agricultural College.

Her appointment as research chair in poultry welfare is part of a $1.3 million investment to ensure research at the university, “continues to guide animal care standards and inform management decisions” according to a Feb. 26 news release.

Harlander’s research focuses on understanding hen behaviour across different housing systems. Her work has contributed to the National Farm Animal Care Council’s codes of practice, the release said. She has also contributed to several industry programs, including a national feather-scoring system.

“True animal care is shared care. It includes the hens, the farmers and the farm families in every barn across the country,” Harlander said in the news release.

“I strive to develop practical, science-based solutions that benefit the birds and the well-being of the people who care for them,” she said. “I look forward to working directly with farmers and their birds to address the challenges they face.”

Harlander succeeds Tina Widowski, who held the chair since 2011.

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For example, before 2021 ground beef was about $1.00 per pound cheaper than chicken breast, wrote FCC senior economist Graeme Crosbie in a Feb. 11 report. Since mid-2024, the price of ground beef has caught and even surpassed the price of chicken breast in some months.

Chicken prices at retail, farm gate

This rise in beef prices has pushed consumers toward other meats, like chicken and pork. Since 2022, pork prices have risen by more than 13 per cent, chicken prices by almost 22 per cent, and beef prices by nearly 38 per cent, FCC reported on Jan. 28.

Additional demand for chicken has led to higher prices. Fresh or frozen chicken prices rose by an average of 6.7 per cent in the final three months of 2025, FCC said. January to September, they rose 0.9 per cent on average per month.

The rise has been largely independent of farm gate prices in the latter half of the year.

FCC predicted that farm gate prices for chicken will be flat to lower in 2026 as feed costs are expected to remain low.

“Margins will remain positive given strong demand and aforementioned low feed costs,” Crosbie wrote.

Crosbie noted that there’s some concern that avian influenza will hamper producers’ ability to fill demand — particularly in B.C. However, 5.6 per cent more more chicks were placed for broiler production in the latter half of 2025 than in the same period in 2024.

“Assuming avian flu outbreaks are well controlled, this bodes well for production numbers in the first part of 2026,” Crosbie wrote.

Imports of chicken under the Canada-United States-Mexico (CUSMA) and Trans-Pacific (CPTPP) trade agreements reached nearly 100 per cent of tariff-rate quotas for the first time in 2025.

Egg demand, production up

Eggs are also benefiting from demand for economical protein.

While egg consumption per capita has been on the rise since the 90s, there was a “significant jump” in the second half of 2025, said Crosbie.

Specifically, the number of eggs available for consumption rose to 5.54 dozen per person in the third quarter of 2025 from 5.00 dozen per person in the same quarter of 2024.

This “indicates a large increase in production amid slowing population growth,” Crosbie said.

Two opposing forces appear to be in play, Crosbie wrote. There appear to be plenty of eggs available, while there’s only anecdotal evidence of the impacts over the winter of avian influenza on laying flocks.

“Quota allocation may be slowed or altered to begin the year if no significant production capacity was lost,” Crosbie wrote.

“Regardless, the longer-term outlook for egg consumption and production continues to be positive.”

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In early October, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency announced a list of seven regulatory changes, part of a an ongoing government effort to untangle regulatory red tape.

As well as several changes for fruit and vegetable growers and veal producers, the announcement included a line item shifting requirements for pathogen testing requirements if hatching eggs are to be brought into Canada.

Further guidance sent out by the CFIA said “hatching eggs of chickens, turkeys, waterfowl or game birds destined for Canadian licensed hatcheries must now be sourced from a flock sampled and tested as outlined in the Canadian Hatchery and Supply Flock Testing Standards or to a monitoring program deemed by the CFIA as equivalent.”

Nik Zylstra, director of hatchery and further poultry processing sectors with the Canadian Egg and Poultry Processors, said while he has not yet spoken with the CFIA about the announcement, he suspects it simply expands existing domestic hatchery standards onto U.S. egg exports to Canada.

“In the Health of Animals regulations in Canada, there’s a portion of them that speak to hatcheries,” said Zylstra.

“These regulations were updated two or three years ago in Canada and one of the requirements is that hatcheries have to source their hatching eggs from supply blocks that are in line with (Canada’s) testing standards.

“So there’s already a domestic requirement that supply flocks are tested using certain standards. And this is just officially applying the same requirements to imported hatching eggs.”

As for where U.S. hatching egg exporters stand, Zylstra doesn’t expect the rule change will require extra or higher standards than those already practised, adding that Canadian Egg and Poultry Producers represents the “vast majority” — but not all — of Canadian hatcheries.

“From what I understand, all of our hatcheries who import hatching eggs from the U.S. (have) U.S. suppliers (that) already follow some level of testing standards that are similar to the CFIA standards,” he said.

The Canadian Hatchery and Supply Flock Testing Standards cover a broad range of sampling testing procedures, including those for different strains of salmonella, as well as environmental tests, tests for day of hatch and embryonated eggs and others. It also classifies various diseases relevant to the hatching industry.

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The study released Aug. 1 analyzed 14 dairy farms from two different regions in California. At those farms, bird flu was detected in the air inside milking parlours as well as in exhaled breath from cows, which would infect both cattle and workers. The virus was also found in the water used to clean the parlours and milking equipment.

Why it matters: While Canadian dairy cattle have escaped bird flu infections so far, poultry farms in some regions have been hammered by the disease.

Some cattle that showed no symptoms of illness were also carriers of bird flu, the study added. However, mastitis found in cattle did not always correlate with bird flu infections.

A potential vaccine against the H5N1 bird flu strain has tested well in non-human primates.

Novavax released pre-clinical data on Aug. 1, which showed strong immune responses in the test subjects with one and two doses of the vaccine, which was administered by injection and by nasal spray.

“Our findings indicate that a single (intramuscular) dose of (the) vaccine might serve as an effective pandemic vaccine in individuals with pre-existing seasonal influenza immunity from vaccination or infection,” Novavax said in a news release.

Brazil’s agriculture minister Carlos Favaro told reporters on Aug. 4 that Chile will re-open its borders to Brazilian poultry.
Chile becomes part of a growing list of countries that have removed restrictions on poultry imports from Brazil, which were implemented after a commercial farm tested positive in May. However, China, the European Union, Canada, Malaysia, East Timor, North Macedonia and Pakistan are still prohibiting all poultry from the South American country. Sixteen other countries have partial restrictions.

In Canada, there are only five premises currently infected with bird flu, the CFIA reported. No Canadian cattle have been infected with the virus.

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“The outcome of this process supports our sector’s vision of continuous improvement in our production practices and approach to producing Canadian eggs,” said Roger Pelissero, chair of Egg Farmers of Canada in a news release.

The National Farm Animal Care Council and Egg Farmers of Canada announced the changes on Thursday. The amendment process began December 2023 after a comprehensive review of the code.

The changes targetted three aspects of layer and pullet care: requirements for round feeders, space allowances for pullets in multi-tier systems and the maximum number of tiers allowed in barns.

Round feeders

Specific requirements for minimum space per bird for round feeders was added to the code. Space requirements for linear feeders wasn’t changed.

The 2017 code requirements were challenging for egg farmers using round feeders, a ‘what we heard’ report said. The code requirements for birds per feeder differed from manufacturers recommendations.

Instead of specific defined measurements, the code provided a formula to convert linear feeder space to round feeder space. Producers questioned the rationale behind that conversion, “leading industry and the Code committee to question whether this may have been included as an oversight,” the report said.

The minimum space allowance requirement will apply to all holdings in the future, the amended code says. A transition timeline for barns built before the amendment will be decided when the code is next updated in or around 2028.

Multi-tier systems

Space requirements were changed for pullets older than eight weeks and housed in multi-tier systems to add about 36 per cent more space per bird.

During the consultation process, industry stakeholders raised concerns that the minimum space requirement was insufficient, the ‘what we heard’ report said. Many pullet growers were looking to soon replace existing pullet housing and were stuck in a holding pattern as they waited for further guidance.

A new recommended practice was added to provide additional space for pullets after 17 weeks of age.

“Pullets that are transitioned to the layer barn after 17 weeks of age are at greater risk for poor welfare due to physiological and behavioural changes associated with the onset of lay (e.g., risk of smothering, egg peritonitis, mislaid eggs),” the amended code says.

Maximum number of tiers

Egg Farmers of Canada added criteria to interpret rules around the number of tiers allowed in laying hen aviaries. Equipment manufacturers had interpreted the requirements multiple ways, the committee said. The additional criteria is meant to ensure the intention to protect the hens’ welfare is upheld while allowing for new aviary designs.

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The 2025 inductees include John Anderson, Dori Gingera-Beauchemin, Gaétan Desroches, Joe Hudson, Dennis Laycraft and Peter Sikkema, according to a June 16 press release.

“As our industry continues to innovate and advance, it’s important to reflect and recognize the lifetime contributions these individuals have made to strengthening the world-class agri-food industry we enjoy in Canada,” said hall of fame chair Phil Boyd.

Why it matters: Every year, the Canadian Agricultural Hall of Fame recognizes people who have helped Canada’s agriculture sector grow and improve.

This year’s inductees can claim groundbreaking work across primary production, food and value-added retail, involvement in commodity organizations, policy making, research and extension and co-operatives, Boyd said.

John Anderson, a west Vancouver resident nominated by former B.C. judge and provincial cabinet member Wally Oppal, spent five decades building his company, Oppy, into a global fresh produce retail business. Starting in the company’s warehouse, he eventually became chief executive officer and transformed the organization through sustainable agriculture practices and community-focused initiatives, the release said.

Dori Gingera-Beauchemin, who lives in Ile Des Chenes, Man., is best known in Manitoba as the province’s long-serving deputy agriculture minister before retiring in 2023. She has continued her agricultural advocacy in retirement, the June 16 release noted. She was nominated by consulting firm Emerging Ag Inc. for her work in sustainable development and policy creation that supported Canadian farm communities.

Quebec’s Gaétan Desroches led Sollio Cooperative Group, Canada’s largest agricultural co-operative, for more than four decades. The Morin-Heights resident, nominated by Sollio Cooperative Group, guided the organization through mergers and helped modernize their operational model.

Joe Hudson, who lived in Brockville, Ont., founded and led Burnbrae Farms, now Canada’s largest family-owned integrated egg producer, for nearly 60 years. Egg Farmers of Canada nominated Hudson

Dennis Laycraft, a Calgary resident nominated by the Canadian Cattle Association, has spent 40 years championing Canada’s beef industry. His leadership has focused on market development, trade competitiveness and building export capacity for Canadian beef, the release said.

Peter Sikkema from Ridgetown, Ont., spent his career as a weed scientist at the University of Guelph Ridgetown Campus. Nominated by Grain Farmers of Ontario, he gained international recognition for his research on herbicide-resistant weeds and practical weed management programs.

The induction ceremony will take place Saturday, Nov. 8, in Victoria, B.C.

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Party leader Yves-Francois Blanchet introduced Bill C-202 May 29, and on June 5 it was sent to the Senate without any debate. It follows Bill C-282 in the last Parliament and C-216 in the one before that. Neither of those bills made it fully through the parliamentary process.

The bill would amend the Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development Act to protect supply managed industries in future trade negotiations. Exporters don’t like that idea, while supply management proponents say they’ve given up enough.

Blanchet said he promised during the campaign to introduce the bill because it is important to Quebec’s economy and reminded MPs that all political parties say they support supply management.

“Once again, I note that all of the political parties in the House have indicated that they will support this initiative. I therefore hope that we can move forward quickly with the support of all members,” he said when introducing the bill.

He said the amendment deserved urgent attention.

The Canadian Agri-Food Trade Alliance urged the Commons and the Senate to reject it.

“As with previous iterations of this bill, C-202 would undermine Canada’s agri-food sector, damage our trade relationships and harm the thousands of farmers, ranchers, processors and agri-food exporters who rely on open access to global markets to make a living,” said president Greg Northey in a news release.

CAFTA said the bill would have implications for all sectors of the economy, not just agriculture, and that sectoral carveouts in trade negotiations would put objectives at risk at a time when Canada should be more ambitious.

The organization urged MPs to not bypass parliamentary procedure and send it directly to the Senate, but they did.

The debate over supply management also continues outside of politics.

University of Saskatchewan agricultural economics professor professor Stuart Smyth called for the system to be phased out “for the greater good of the country.”

In a June 3 commentary for the Macdonald-Laurier Institute, Smyth said that would lower the cost of dairy and poultry products for consumers. He called supply management “an outdated, flawed and costly system” and an anti-competitive production model.

Dairy Farmers of Canada begged to differ.

For one thing, farmers don’t set retail prices, the organization said after reviewing the commentary.

“The prices of supply managed products have remained stable and generally in line or below inflationary trends in Canada,” it said in an emailed statement.

“In 2024, the average retail price of milk was almost equal to that of the United States at $1.64 per litre in Canada versus $1.44 per litre in the U.S.”

At the same time, the average prices of yogurt, natural cheese blocks and butter were similar or lower.

DFC said American and other dairy systems receive direct financial production subsidies, which means consumers pay twice — through taxes and at the store.

Smyth said farms would be larger and more efficient without the supply managed system. DFC said Canadian dairies are smaller than those in the U.S. but that doesn’t make them inefficient.

Smyth said the new government should phase out supply management by removing 10 percentage points of total quota each year for the next 10 years. He also said the government should reduce tariffs by the same amount in the same time frame to encourage competition.

“Allowing new and existing producers to increase production based on free market signals will greatly reduce the waste and inefficiencies that have long existed in supply management production systems, such as the practice of dumping excess milk,” Smyth wrote.

DFC has disputed a study earlier this year that estimated Canadian dairy farms dumped 6.8 billion litres of milk between 2012 and 2024.

Smyth also argued that dairy production could and should move to the Prairies because herds are already twice as large as the average Quebec herd and water is plentiful.

“Canadian dairy consumers are paying higher prices to subsidize small, inefficient Quebec dairies, while other dairies across Canada are dumping milk as they do not have enough quota to sell the full volume of milk they produce,” he said.

Smyth suggested four policies government could enact:

• Quota licences should be available nationally, rather than provincially.

• There should be a time-limited guarantee backstop for younger farmers who have used their quota as collateral.

• Financial institutions recognize the value of quota licences while the system is dismantled and not demand immediate repayment.

• The government should also provide a 10-year guarantee to farmers who demonstrate economic efficiencies and increase operating equity, thereby reducing their financial risk, before the system is officially dismantled.

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