CALGARY — The Canadian Wheat Research Coalition (CWRC) is raising concerns that planned staffing reductions at Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) could erode Canada’s agricultural research capacity and threaten the long-term return on investment farmers receive from publicly funded plant breeding programs.
In a statement issued Friday, the coalition said it is “deeply concerned” by reports that AAFC will eliminate 665 staff positions nationwide as part of plans to reduce the department’s budget by 15 per cent over the next three years. The CWRC said the cuts risk undermining research stations and the expertise that has helped drive productivity and innovation across Canadian agriculture.
“These staffing cuts, and related impacts at AAFC research stations, represent a tremendous loss for Canadian agriculture,” said CWRC chair Jocelyn Velestuk.
“It is a loss of not only expertise and people who have contributed to farmers’ success, but also of agricultural research capacity that is crucial to fuelling innovation and maintaining progress throughout the industry.”
The CWRC represents western Canadian farmers who invest in wheat breeding and variety development through partnerships with public institutions. The coalition said AAFC has long been a key research partner and emphasized that farmers have directed significant funding toward federal breeding work through multi-year agreements.
Among the largest current commitments is $19.9 million over three years under the CWRC’s core breeding agreement (CBA) with AAFC. That agreement supports plant breeding and variety development work intended to improve yield, quality and disease resistance — traits that can have direct impacts on farm profitability and Canada’s competitiveness in export markets.
The coalition said Canada’s international reputation for quality grain depends on a strong research network capable of delivering elite varieties and adapting to emerging agronomic challenges. In its statement, CWRC linked AAFC’s role to the country’s broader competitiveness in global markets, where grain-exporting nations continue to invest heavily in genetics and innovation.
While AAFC’s staffing reductions are expected to be national in scope, the coalition said it remains unclear how the cuts will be distributed and what the long-term impacts could be on specific research stations and programs.
“The long-term impact these staffing cuts will have and how they will be distributed is not yet clear, but the CWRC is continuing to monitor the situation,” the organization said.
The CWRC said its leadership is in communication with AAFC and plans to continue discussions as more information becomes available. The coalition did not specify whether any existing breeding agreements would be affected, but it signalled concern about how reduced staffing could limit AAFC’s ability to deliver on research commitments.
For farmers, the issue extends beyond the immediate workforce reductions to the stability of Canada’s public plant breeding system, which the coalition said has generated substantial returns over decades. Public breeding programs are typically long-cycle investments, requiring sustained staffing and infrastructure to move from early-stage research to field trials and commercial variety release.
The CWRC noted that it engages in CBAs not only with AAFC, but also with several university-based crop development programs, including the University of Saskatchewan Crop Development Centre, the University of Manitoba and the University of Alberta.
Collectively, the coalition said it invests more than $9.5 million per year on behalf of western Canadian farmers. That funding supports a mix of variety development, testing and research work intended to maintain Canada’s competitiveness and provide farmers with improved genetics suited to prairie growing conditions.
“These CBAs, and other investments in public plant breeding in Canada, have generated significant returns for both farmers and the public over the last several decades,” the CWRC said.
In addition to potential impacts on breeding programs, the coalition’s concerns reflect the broader role AAFC research plays in supporting innovation across the agriculture value chain, including work on disease management, climate resilience, crop quality and agronomic best practices. Reduced staffing at federal research stations could also affect partnerships with private sector players and provincial research organizations that rely on federal expertise and infrastructure.
The CWRC framed the staffing cuts as a development that increases the urgency of its ongoing review of Canada’s wheat breeding innovation system. The coalition said that review is intended to ensure the system continues delivering elite varieties to farmers for years to come, particularly as global competition intensifies and production challenges evolve.
“In light of the cuts occurring at AAFC, the CWRC’s ongoing review of Canada’s wheat breeding innovation system is even more vital to ensuring the system continues to generate elite varieties for farmers across the country for many years to come,” the coalition said.
The statement was issued from Calgary, Carman, Man., and Saskatoon, reflecting the coalition’s western Canadian focus and the geographic footprint of wheat research activity across the Prairies.
