After confirmation of imminent staffing cuts at Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) yesterday, today news broke of multiple AAFC research facilities being shut down.
Social media posts on Jan. 22 claim that sites including the AAFC Lacombe Research and Development Centre at Lacombe, Alta., and the Nappan Experimental Farm/AAFC Nappan Research Farm in Cumberland County, Nova Scotia are facing closure.
MLA Elizabeth Smith-McCrossin wrote in a Facebook post that workers at the Nappan location were notified the federal government plans to close the Nappan farm, calling the decision “devastating” for the rural community. Smith-McCrossin said the closure represents a lost opportunity “not only for our community, but for Canadians across the country,” and is “the wrong cut, at the wrong time, in the wrong place.” She called on the federal government to provide clear answers on how many jobs are impacted, what happens to the research and animal programs, and what services will be lost to producers.
As for the future of the Lacombe Research and Development Centre, beef researcher Dr. Hushton Block wrote on X that the facility will be shut down as a result of government budget cuts (see below).
Lacombe, established in 1907, lists 112 total staff, including 22 researchers, and includes a satellite location at the Beaverlodge Research Farm. The centre’s research focus areas include livestock and meat production, meat quality and safety, reducing the environmental impact of livestock production, honey bee health and management, integrated crop systems, and plant breeding and disease resistance, including evaluation of canola, cereal and field pea breeding lines adapted to short-season Western Canadian environments.
Kentville, established in 1911, lists 73 total staff, including 20 researchers, and identifies Nappan as a satellite location, with research spanning primary production, germplasm development, post-harvest storage, food attributes and safety, integrated pest management, plant pathology, and horticulture.
AAFC has not publicly confirmed the reported closures or provided details on timelines or program impacts. RealAgriculture will continue to follow the story and share more information as it becomes available.
AAFC Lacombe Research and Development Centre is being shut down as a result of government budget cuts.
— Hushton Block (@HushtonBlock) January 22, 2026
Related: 665 positions to be cut from Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada
