ELORA - A new chapter for Ontario's pork industry is being written.
The new Ontario Swine Research Centre, first announced in July 2019, has moved to a new home at the Elora Research Station.
The centre opened late last month in the rural area on 2 Line East, south of Elora, adding to the complex that also has research centre's for beef and dairy.
It is owned by the Agricultural Research Institute of Ontario (ARIO) – a branch of the provincial government – and managed by the University of Guelph through the province's Agri-Food Innovation Alliance.
At approximately 68,000 square feet, the size isn't much larger than the old centre at the Arkell Research Station. But the head of Ontario Pork said the move is an important one for the billion dollar industry.
"It replaces (a centre) that's come to the end of its life (at over 40-years-old)," John de Bruyn, Ontario Pork's board chair told GuelphToday.
"Just like any other facilities, there's a time to build it and there's a time to move on to the next one. For a variety of reasons, it was time to re-invest for our industry."
“The Ontario Swine Research Centre will allow U of G experts to advance research and knowledge, bring new livestock innovations to the farm and train the next generation of talent, in support of a thriving pork sector in Ontario and beyond,” added U of G president Charlotte Yates in a news release.
Some of the work taking place will include nutrition, animal health and welfare, production economics, consumer-oriented research, environmental factors, genetics, reproduction and more.
"Production practices and industry standards change over time, and agriculture has an exciting last 40 years," De Bruyn said.
"The amount of efficiency and changes over time for us to produce safe, wholesome pork with less resources continues to excite me, and we're always looking for new ways to do that."
The new centre, he added, reflects the current Ontario industry.
Ontario's agriculture minister Lisa Thompson said in a release the investment in the centre will help "fuel leading-edge research, to advance Ontario's pork sector with respect to herd health, consumer demand and production efficiencies."
It might be open, but there's still some work to do before the centre is operational, including sanitizing the building and moving the animals inside.
"(The new facility) can house about 350 productive female sows, and most of their offspring to market," de Bruyn said.
About five to 10 staff members are at the facility, plus researchers, veterinarians and others from the university using the facility for projects.
The $20 million facility was partially funded by the provincial and federal government. About $1.75 million will specifically fund a feed distribution system for the animals, as well as electronic sow feeders. The remaining dollars came from Ontario's pork industry and the ARIO.
In addition to it being the home of the Ontario Beef Research Centre and the Ontario Dairy Research Centre, De Bruyn confirms there are plans to add a centre for poultry to the property in the next few years.
"I call it a centre of excellence for livestock and agriculture research," he said. "It is already, and is going to be a great resource for Ontario agriculture."
