News Research
Ontario government enhancing livestock health, welfare and productivity

Ontario’s government is investing $1.1 million in research on livestock nutrition, biosecurity and production to help keep farm animals healthy and safe. The announced investment will help develop new livestock technologies, practices and on-farm solutions while fostering innovation and competitiveness in the Canadian livestock sector.

Ontario’s livestock sector contributes approximately $15.4 billion to the country’s GDP and supports more than 326,000 direct jobs.

Through the Ontario Agri-Food Innovation Alliance, the province is funding livestock research at the University of Guelph to support the development of innovative products, approaches and best practices with research projects that include:

• Assessing health and precision technologies to improve dairy cow fertility.
• Investigating nutrition strategies to improve the health and growth of pigs.
• Research to guide antibiotic use in the goat industry.
• Enhancing natural fertility in dairy cows through health and precision technologies.
• A machine learning approach to illness surveillance in swine populations.
• Assessing alternative feeds to improve health and productivity in chickens.

“Our government is committed to advancing animal health and making the livestock sector more productive,” said Ernie Hardeman, Ontario’s Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. “This investment will provide farmers with the latest knowledge and tools they need to keep farm animals and food safe while continuing to be global leaders in the agriculture sector.”