Milling & Baking News - September 20, 2011 - 28

Export and Trade Issues 

Canadian wheat growers vote to keep single-desk selling system
WINNIPEG, MAN. — Western Canadian farmers voted Sixty-eight thousand producers received ballots, and 38,261 strongly in favor of retaining the monopoly of the Canadian farmers mailed in their ballots, a participation rate of 56%, Wheat Board over the selling of their wheat, with the long- which plebiscite organizers said was on par with overall standing exception of feed wheat sold domestically, in a participation in the last three federal elections. “Farmers have spoken,” said Allen Oberg, chairman of the plebiscite initiated by the C.W.B. whose results were released Sept. 12. A thin majority of voting farmers indicated they C.W.B.’s elected board of directors. “Their message is loud were in favor of retaining the C.W.B.’s single-desk selling and clear, and the government must listen. Western Canadian producers have voted to keep their system for barley. single-desk marketing system for The plebiscite was organized in ‘Farmers have spoken. Their wheat and barley. They cannot be response to Canada’s Conservative message is loud and clear.’ ignored. We will not sit back and government’s claim the national — Allen Oberg, chairman of the watch this government steamroll election that brought it to power C.W.B.’s elected board of directors over farmers. We are going to stand last May inferred it had a mandate our ground and fight for farmers.” to end the C.W.B.’s 69-year-old Mr. Oberg said the plebiscite monopoly over milling wheat and barley sales. Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz said legislation confirmed the recent federal election implied no mandate would be introduced in Parliament in the fall that would end to abolish the single-desk marketing system. “The number of producers who voted shows that they are the single-desk selling system as of Aug. 1, 2012. Single-desk advocates pointed out the Canadian Wheat Board Act requires passionate about the C.W.B. and demand a say in its future. the government to seek the approval of growers before taking As farmers, the C.W.B. is our marketing organization. We pay for it, we run it, and we have the right to decide such action, but Minister Ritz has refused to do so. The C.W.B. said 62% of Western Canadian wheat growers its future. The government must now acknowledge this participating in the plebiscite voted in favor of retaining mandate from farmers and respect this decision.” A couple days before the results were announced, Minister the single desk for wheat, and 51% of participating barley farmers voted to retain the single desk for barley.

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‘At the end of the day, the government of Canada will ensure that farmers in Western Canada have the same right to an open market as farmers around the world.’
— Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz, who described the vote as ‘inconsequential’

KNAPPEN MILLING COMPANY 110 S. Water Street | Augusta, MI 49012 269-731-4141 or 1-800-KNAPPEN | Fax: 269-731-5441 www.knappen.com

Ritz said the results of the plebiscite are “inconsequential.” “At the end of the day, the government of Canada will ensure that farmers in Western Canada have the same right to an open market as farmers around the world,” he said. The C.W.B. said the plebiscite was fair and was administered by an independent third party, MNP, a chartered accounting and business advisory firm. Farmers received ballots if they had a permit with the board in the past two years or delivered wheat or barley within the past five years. “By any measure, this is a fair plebiscite,” Mr. Oberg said. “This is the clearest expression of what the majority of the farmers are thinking. We asked the minister to conduct his own plebiscite, as required by law, but he chose not to do so. It seems ironic he’s criticizing this very fair and credible process.” Grower groups opposed to the single-desk system said the government should proceed with its effort to abolish the C.W.B. monopoly. ”The entire design of this vote was geared toward producing a result in favor of the monopoly,” said Kevin Bender, president of the Western Canadian Wheat Growers Association. “The government should ignore the results and move full steam ahead with plans to give us our marketing freedom.” Separate from the plebiscite, a growers’ group called the Friends of the Canadian Wheat Board in June applied to Canada’s Federal Court for an order to bar the government from abolishing the monopoly without first seeking approval of farmers through a vote. A judge in Winnipeg ruled Sept. 9 that the group’s challenge may proceed. MBN
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28 / September 20, 2011 Milling & Baking News

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Milling & Baking News - September 20, 2011

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