The Canadian Wheat Board (CWB) welcomes Minister Chuck Strahl's announcement that a producer plebiscite on wheat will be held before any changes are made to the way wheat is marketed in Western Canada.

“This is a positive development,” said board chair Ken Ritter, a farmer from Kindersley, SK, of yesterday’s announcement by the Minister. “With clear plebiscite questions based on realistic options, farmers can provide government with the input it is seeking."

“Asking the question means living with the answer. Let farmers truly direct the future of the CWB as their marketing agency.”

Ritter cautioned that the government continues to promote an impossible scenario by promising, as it did in yesterday's announcement, to provide “marketing choice while continuing to preserve a strong CWB as one of those choices”. He said that, without a fair question, it will be difficult for farmers to express their views effectively.

"It is important that farmers have clear and realistic choices with respect to how their grain is marketed. You either have a single desk or you don't. The strength of the CWB is the single desk."

A producer plebiscite on barley marketing has been set by the federal government for the period of January 31 to March 6, 2007. Farmers in the CWB's designated area of Western Canada will be asked whether barley marketing should continue to be conducted through the CWB's single desk. The wording of the question has not yet been announced.

Until yesterday, the Minister had declined to commit to a similar plebiscite on wheat. Since the barley plebiscite was announced on October 31, 2006, the CWB has urged a fair question, reasonable eligibility rules and a commitment to heed its results.

The major Prairie farm groups have also recommended an approach for conducting a fair plebiscite and submitted their suggestions to Minister Strahl. Their recommended question was used by the Manitoba government in a recent plebiscite held among provincial producers. The Manitoba results, announced yesterday, showed 70 per cent were in favour of retaining CWB single-desk marketing for wheat and 62 per cent in favour of continuing the single desk for barley.

Controlled by western Canadian farmers, the CWB is the largest wheat and barley marketer in the world. As one of Canada's biggest exporters, the Winnipeg-based organization sells grain to more than 70 countries and returns all sales revenue, less marketing costs, to Prairie farmers.

RELATED RELEASE

Canada's Ag Minister announces commitment to plebiscite on marketing choice for barley and wheat
Le Ministre de l’Agriculture du Canada announce son engagement à réaliser un plébiscite sur la commercialisation mixte de l'orge et du blé