Beef producers gain a made-in-Canada DNA testing option

Dec 02, 2025

A new partnership is bringing beef DNA testing back to Canada.

The Global Institute for Food Security (GIFS) at the University of Saskatchewan and the Canadian Beef Improvement Network (CBIN) have announced a new strategic partnership to deliver DNA testing and analysis services, giving Canadian beef producers an alternative to sending samples abroad.

Bringing testing capacity home

Officially launched this week, the partnership establishes a Canadian-based DNA testing and analysis platform designed to meet the needs of breeders, producers, and breed associations.

Until now, most genotyping required international shipment, creating delays, added costs, and the storage of Canadian genetic information outside the country.

GIFS has built a high-throughput, secure infrastructure that allows producers to access testing directly through CBIN and its participating breed associations. The move is expected to streamline logistics, reduce reliance on foreign labs, and help ensure Canadian data stays within national borders.

Strengthening Canada’s breeding tools

Steven Webb, CEO of GIFS, says centralizing genotyping capacity in Canada strengthens the industry’s foundation for innovation and competitiveness.

Click here to see more...

Video: Season 6, Episode 7: Takeaways from the Second International Conference on Pig Livability

This year’s conference fostered open, engaging conversations around current research in the swine industry, bringing together hundreds of attendees from 31 states and six countries. Two leaders who helped organize the event joined today’s episode: Dr. Joel DeRouchey, professor and swine extension specialist in the Department of Animal Sciences and Industry at Kansas State University, and Dr. Edison Magalhaes, assistant professor in the Department of Animal Sciences at Iowa State University. They share key takeaways from the conference, including the importance of integrating data when evaluating whole-herd livability, building a culture of care among employees and adopting new technologies. Above all, the discussion reinforces that this industry remains, at its core, a people business.