Government Enhances Legislation for Animal Protection in Saskatchewan

Nov 20, 2025

Today, the Government of Saskatchewan introduced The Animal Protection Amendment Act, 2025, which will strengthen and create more transparency and public accountability around animal welfare enforcement.

"Our government wants to ensure provincial legislation reflects evolving changes to international trade requirements and changing expectations of the public regarding animal welfare enforcement," Agriculture Minister Daryl Harrison said. "These amendments provide the flexibility and enhancements needed to accomplish these goals."

Through consultations held earlier in 2025 with service providers, producer groups and other stakeholders, the Ministry of Agriculture determined that amendments to The Animal Protection Act, 2018 were required to ensure enforcement would be consistent and equitable across the province.

Key changes include:

Creating animal welfare inspector positions to provide education on animal care to the public and livestock industry members;
Providing the authority to obtain telewarrants to relieve animal distress;
Establishing a code of conduct for animal protection officers and animal welfare inspectors;
Establishing a chief officer position to oversee officer conduct; and
Providing the authority to create an appeals board to adjudicate matters of animal disposition and owner liabilities for expenses.

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Video: Biosecurity Compliance - Dr. Jean-Pierre Vaillancourt

In this episode of The Swine it Podcast Show Canada, Dr. Jean-Pierre Vaillancourt, professor of veterinary medicine at the University of Montreal, discusses the human side of biosecurity compliance. He explains why protocols often fail when people are tired, unconvinced, undertrained, or working with impractical systems, and how leadership, employee input, technology, feedback, and small incentives can make biosecurity more consistent on swine farms. Listen now on all major platforms!

"Biosecurity only works when people repeatedly do the right thing, and that means the system has to support compliance every day."

Meet the guest: Dr. Jean-Pierre Vaillancourt is a veterinarian and professor of veterinary medicine at the University of Montreal. His work focuses on biosecurity, infectious disease control, and practical risk reduction in animal production systems, with experience across swine and poultry health. Learn more from Dr. Jean-Pierre Vaillancourt on The Swine it Podcast Show Canada, available on all major platforms.