FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Ottawa – April 24, 2026 – The Agriculture Union is praising the federal government’s decision to cancel its plans to close the national reference and research centre for food allergens. The union represents 4000 Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) employees from coast to coast, including 10 out of a total of 17 at the Longueuil laboratory in Quebec, which was set to cease operations at the end of April. All 17 of the employees of the CFIA Longueuil lab received letters at the end of January stating that their positions had become “surplus” following the Carney government’s comprehensive expenditure review, and that the lab would be closed. Today, after months of fighting to try to stop these cuts to the CFIA, the Agriculture Union is breathing a sigh of relief.
“Yesterday’s decision is a significant victory for all Canadians who care about safe and healthy food, and especially anyone with a food allergy who relies on the work of our members at this lab” says Milton Dyck, National President of the Agriculture Union. “The Longueuil lab is the CFIA’s only lab capable of using advanced technology to verify nutrition labels and detect allergens. They also do testing on shellfish for marine toxins. Over three million people in Canada suffer from food allergies. If the government shuts this lab, they remove an essential protection for them all. This was a reckless move.”
Despite the positive announcement to keep the lab open for now, the threat remains as the CFIA has indicated they still intend to shut the Longueuil lab by 2028. This comes against the backdrop of a looming food safety crisis in North America. While accelerating climate change is multiplying food safety risks, the Trump administration has gutted the US Food and Drug Administration, thereby throwing the quality of American food imports into doubt, and the CFIA itself admits it is ill-equipped to handle multiple emergencies at once.
“The Longueuil lab isn’t just a budget line,” insists Dyck. “It is a promise to keep families safe. And our members are proud to do that work. While this decision to keep the lab open in the short term gives us some room to breathe, we demand that the Canadian government commit to keeping the lab open for the long term and roll back the cuts to the CFIA. Our message to Carney is that he needs to stop gambling with people’s lives and put food safety first”.
For media requests, please contact Aaron Lakoff, Communications Officer for the Agriculture Union: LakoffA@psac-afpc.com, 343-596-4400
