The Canadian Pork Council will add ten new training modules to its PigLEARN training platform at the start of 2026, expanding the national system built to support barn-level training across Canada’s pork sector.
The PigLEARN platform launched in March 2025 as an online learning management system designed specifically for swine barn workers. It delivers standardized, practical training that producers can use for new employees and for refresher learning among experienced staff.
Mark Fynn, training resources coordinator with the Canadian Pork Council, shared the update while attending Brandon Hog and Poultry Show. He said the platform currently hosts 86 modules and will grow to 96 once the new material goes live in January.
“We’re getting ready to release ten new training modules on low-stress pig handling,” Fynn said. “We plan to launch those right at the start of the new year.”
The new modules focus on how pigs behave and how handlers can use that understanding to improve animal care, worker safety, and barn efficiency. Fynn said the training begins with the basics and then moves into practical application.
“It starts with pigs’ basic behaviour,” he said. “How pigs view the world and how you can use that information to help handle them.”
From there, the modules cover core handling principles that apply across all production stages. The training then breaks down handling techniques by age group, recognizing that pigs respond differently as they grow.
“How you handle pigs changes as they get older,” Fynn said. “We cover piglets, the grower phase, sows, and boars.”
The new material also includes training on loading and unloading pigs for transport, an area where calm handling is crucial to animal welfare and worker safety.
“Those are important points in the system,” Fynn said. “We included modules on loading pigs for transport and unloading them at their destination.”
Once the ten modules launch, PigLEARN will host 96 total courses. Fynn said the platform allows room to grow beyond that number.
“If a company has its own training it wants to upload, the platform allows that,” he said. “So we say 96 plus.”

PigLEARN does not replace on-farm training programs. It supports them. Fynn said the goal has always been to provide a strong foundation that producers can adapt to their own operations“The purpose was to provide good training content to hog farmers across Canada,” he said. “It helps build a foundation for new workers and also works well as refresher training.”
Each topic on the platform follows the same development process. The Canadian Pork Council forms working groups that include producers and industry experts from across the country. Those groups guide content development and ensure the material reflects current best practices.
“We want the best experts helping advise us,” Fynn said. “Then we develop the training modules based on that information.”
Current modules already cover a wide range of topics. These include bio-security, enhanced bio-security during disease outbreaks, group sow housing, and daily in-barn husbandry tasks. The platform also includes training on managing farrowing units, nurseries, and grow-finish barns.
“There are eight or nine different topic areas right now,” Fynn said. “And there’s more coming.”
The next major expansion will focus on worker health and safety. Fynn said the council is developing a full suite of training in that area, with a planned release in January 2027.
“There are about 20 new modules on worker health and safety in development,” he said.
Producers across Canada have responded positively to the platform. Fynn said many companies now review how PigLEARN fits into their existing training systems.
“The response has been overwhelmingly positive,” he said. “People are assessing how they can use it to enhance what they already do.”
Every pork operation trains new workers in some way. PigLEARN gives producers a consistent national tool to support that process, especially in an industry that relies heavily on skilled labour and clear procedures.
“A lot of people are looking at how PigLEARN can supplement their current programs,” Fynn said. “It helps deliver consistent training.”
Fynn also pointed to the scale of collaboration behind the platform. More than 200 people across the industry have contributed to the development of PigLEARN content and structure.
“We couldn’t have got to where we are without those contributions,” he said. “A lot of experts helped build this.”
Anyone interested in using PigLEARN can access it through their provincial pork organization. Those offices handle registration and setup support.
“The best way to get started is to contact your provincial pork organization,” Fynn said.
With the January launch approaching, PigLEARN continues to expand as a practical tool for Canadian pork producers. The addition of low-stress pig-handling modules reflects a focus on animal welfare, worker confidence, and consistent on-farm practices nationwide. •
— By Harry Siemens