New Research Scientist at Prairie Swine Centre

Saskatoon – Dr. Pascal Leterme, a research scientist with impressive international credentials, has joined the Prairie Swine Centre.

Before coming to Canada, Leterme was an assistant professor at the National Veterinary School in Lyon, France. Previous to that, he held research positions at universities in Colombia and Belgium.

He has been program leader for projects financed by the International Atomic Energy Agency, the Volkswagen Foundation, the Belgian Ministry for Cooperation to Development and the Government of Colombia.

Dr. Leterme is a recognized expert in swine nutrition completing work in ingredient evaluation, utilizing pulse crops in swine rations, and protein metabolism. At Prairie Swine Centre his work will concentrate on the utilization of pulses in swine diets, better use of locally available ingredients like canola and flax, and integrating nutrition and the environment in sustainable production systems. “Western Canada is a perfect fit for my training and interests” notes Dr. Leterme. Legumes, especially peas are an area of particular expertise where Dr. Leterme has distinguished himself through the development of novel investigation techniques, earning him an invitation to the prestigious Scientific Committee of the European Association of Grain Legume Research, based in Paris. Pascal has also provided leadership to the scientific community as Editor of the Grain Legumes Journal for 6 years.

Dr. Leterme saw the opportunity to immigrate to Canada as a positive move to further his practical work on swine nutrition, “I knew from a previous visit to Canada that the Prairie Swine Centre had great facilities and offered lots of opportunities for practical feed ingredient research.”

“We’re really fortunate to attract someone of Pascal’s skills,” says John Patience, President of the Prairie Swine Centre. “He is considered ‘Mr. Pulse Crop’ for his work with grain legumes in Europe.”

Leterme is fluent in three languages – English, French and Spanish. “That will help the Prairie Swine Centre keep abreast of research developments in many countries around the world,” notes Patience.

Pascal his wife Carmenza and two children moved from Lyon, France to Saskatoon in fall 2005.

Prairie Swine Centre Inc., located in Saskatoon, is a non-profit research corporation affiliated with the University of Saskatchewan, and is recognized globally for its contributions to practical, applied science in pork production in the disciplines of Nutrition, Engineering and Animal Behaviour.

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For more information, contact:
Pascal Leterme
Research Scientist – Nutrition
Prairie Swine Centre
Phone: 306-667-7445
Fax: 306-955-2510
E-mail: pascal.leterme@usask.ca

John Patience
President,
Prairie Swine Centre Inc.
Phone: 306-373-9922
Fax: 306-955-2510
E-mail: john.patience@usask.ca