Tuesday October 14, 2025 | ABBOTSFORD, BC
by Mary P Brooke | Island Social Trends
A new plant and animal health centre will safeguard people and farms.
That message was delivered in Abbotsford today by Agriculture and Food Minister Lana Popham together with Health Minister Josie Osborne.
The new centre will be at 34252 King Road, next to the University of Fraser Valley’s Abbotsford campus, just off Highway 1. It will replace the current 30-year-old facility and be built to modern specifications to provide updated testing for farmers and better protect public health.
The new government centre is intended to be the backbone of B.C.’s food safety system, helping farmers and veterinarians quickly detect and respond to animal and plant diseases that could threaten animal safety, food supply and public health.
Work at the new plant will help keep people safe by stopping diseases such as avian flu before they spread, protecting British Columbia’s food, farmers, animals and communities.
“B.C. farmers, producers and processors rely on fast, accurate testing to keep their animals healthy and their operations running smoothly,” said Lana Popham, Minister of Agriculture and Food.
“This new centre will help producers prevent and respond to disease threats, protect our food supply and support public health. This is a forward-looking investment that will strengthen B.C.’s agriculture sector and safeguard food security for generations to come,” she said today.
The centre is one of Western Canada’s leading full-service veterinary laboratories and plays a key role in the Province’s veterinary, diagnostic and food safety programs that support healthy farms and public health.
Farmers and ranchers:
“All farmers and ranchers in the province rely on the excellent veterinary and diagnostic work done at the plant and animal health centre,” said Jennifer Woike, president, BC Agriculture Council.
“Building a new and updated centre is an extraordinary commitment to ensure the continued health of livestock and crops and, by extension, the health of all British Columbians,” she said.
Flood damage in 2021:
The current centre suffered extensive damages during the 2021 floods in Abbotsford and needs to be replaced to meet the increasing demands for testing.
The centre handles more than 10,000 cases annually from farmers and organizations, helping to detect, monitor and prevent diseases such as avian influenza, West Nile virus and chronic wasting disease. Staff at the lab conduct, on average, 100,000 tests annually.
Resilient food supply:
“A new state-of-the-art plant and animal health centre will help strengthen public health by detecting diseases, such as avian influenza before they reach people,” said Josie Osborne, Minister of Health.
“It will also ensure safer food on our tables by monitoring food sources, tracking emerging threats and guiding swift responses. This early warning system supports a healthier, more resilient food supply for everyone,” said Osborne.
Agricultural capital:
“As the agricultural capital of B.C., the City of Abbotsford understands the importance of protecting the health of our animals, plants and crops,” said Ross Siemens, mayor of Abbotsford.
“This plant and animal health centre will continue providing farmers with support for keeping their farms healthy, safeguarding their livelihoods and strengthening food security across B.C. We are grateful to the Province for maintaining Abbotsford as the home for this important facility,” said Siemens.
Funding:
The Province has approved up to $496 million to buy the land, build the new facility and buy equipment. Construction is expected to begin in 2027 with enhanced services available to B.C. producers by 2032.
About the current plant and animal health centre services:
The Plant Health Laboratory provides diagnosis of plant health problems caused by insects and disease affecting crops and plants grown in British Columbia including attention to plant diseases; assessments for non-pathogenic (abiotic) disorders; and insect pests.
- The Plant Health Laboratory uses a wide range of methods and procedures to make diagnoses, including microscopic examination, culturing, conventional and real-time PCR, sequencing, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs), insect identifications, Biolog testing, ImmunoStrip testing, and electron microscopy.
- Soil testing is limited to clubroot detection and pH and EC readings.The Plant Health Laboratory does not offer chemical analysis of soil or plant tissue samples for nutrient content or chemical residues.
The Animal Health Centre is the leading accredited full-service veterinary laboratory in Western Canada, offering more than 400 laboratory diagnostic tests for agents that may be found in wild and domestic birds, mammals, fish, reptiles and amphibians.
- The centre employs over 60 scientists who provide diagnostic services to British Columbians.
- As an accredited testing facility, the centre offers fee-for-service diagnostic testing to veterinarians, livestock producers, the public and other government agencies, in bacteriology, histopathology, molecular diagnostics, pathology (necropsy), serology, genomics, virology, etc.
- While the Canadian Food Inspection Agency leads the response to avian influenza in Canada, the centre is a key diagnostic laboratory providing testing for the disease.
- The PAHC also tests for chronic wasting disease, a fatal infectious disease that affects cervids, such as deer, elk, moose, and caribou, of which there have been recent cases in the Kootenays.
- The centre publishes a newsletter multiple times per year that offers scientific information on cases of animal or plant disease, including recent news around deceased wildlife, as well as notices for Ministry of Agriculture and Food programs or information sessions.
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NEWS SECTIONS: AGRICULTURE & FOOD | FOOD SECURITY