Media Release – Vigilance OGM
Montreal, 30 April 2026 – Yesterday, the Quebec network Vigilance OGM (GMO Watch) attended the SIAL international food tradeshow in Montreal accompanied by a large inflatable pig wearing a sign around its neck that said “GMO?”.
The purpose of this humorous display was to bring industry awareness to Health Canada’s approval earlier this year of a genetically engineered (genetically modified or GM) pig for human consumption (1), without requiring mandatory labelling for Canadian consumers.
This GM pig, gene-edited to be resistant to a respiratory disease, could be introduced to the market as early as this year, with no transparency.
“With this giant inflatable pig costume, we really want to expose what the government and industry are trying to hide from us,” says Thibault Rehn, Executive Director of Vigilance OGM.
“The industry must understand that without transparency, consumers lose trust. We saw this happen with GM salmon.”
Corporate Commitment – No to Genetically Modified Meat
At the industry tradeshow, Vigilance OGM and its Canadian partner the Canadian Biotechnology Action Network (CBAN) issued a statement to producers, processors and distributors, calling on them to commit to not selling, processing or distributing pork from this gene-edited pig.(2) The first company to sign the pledge is DuBreton, a leader in organic pig production in North America, which has already publicly expressed concern about the arrival of GM pork on the market.(3)
“Introducing unlabeled, gene-edited pork into Canada’s food system undermines consumer choice. We have a responsibility to ensure people have the information they need to make informed decisions and to protect the integrity of the Canadian food system,” said Vincent Breton, President of DuBreton.
Negative international reputation
Canada is a major player in global pig production, the fourth largest exporter of pork in the world at a value of $3.2-million in 2024.(4) In the midst of a trade war with the United States, and while seeking new export markets, is Canada shooting itself in the foot?
Canada is a global leader the commercial use of GMOs and is often one of the first countries to allow GM plants or animals on its market, but the doors to Canada’s export markets could close because very few countries worldwide accept this GM pork.(5)
“Scandals have been mounting in recent years, with GM salmon (6), and the contamination of wheat (7) and lentils (8) by pesticides,” Rhen said.
The latest public opinion poll, conducted in 2025 by Leger Marketing, shows that 83% of Canadians are in favour of mandatory labelling of genetically modified foods (9). Companies should therefore take a clear stance on the issue of GM meat: consumers have been calling for transparency on this issue for over thirty years.
Contact: Thibault Rehn, Executive Director, Vigilance OGM, (514) 582-1674. https://www.vigilanceogm.org/articles/cochon-gm-action
(1) Canada approves pigs resistant to porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome viruses for use in food and feed, Health Canada, January 23, 2026.
(2) Pledge form: Company Commitment – No genetically modified meat
(3) duBreton Responds to Health Canada’s Approval of Gene Edited Meat with ‘Verified No Cloning or Gene Edited’ Labeling Commitment, January 27, 2026.
(4) World’s Top Exports, Accessed April 28, 2026.
(5) Currently, only the US, Brazil, Columbia and the Dominican Republic have approved this GM pig.
(6) Du saumon génétiquement modifié dans votre assiette?, Radio-Canada , October 15, 2021.
(7) Les Italiens boudent le blé canadien au glyphosate, Radio-Canada, February 15, 2019.
(8) La concentration d’herbicides dans des lentilles canadiennes dépasse les normes, Radio-Canada, November 28, 2025.
(9) Perceptions regarding mandatory GMO labelling, Leger, October 10, 2025.
For the French release: https://www.vigilanceogm.org/articles/cochon-gm-action
