End may be in sight for Canadian Wheat Board monopoly
Farm and Ranch May 31, 2011 That recent election in Canada may have spelled doom for the Canadian Wheat Board’s monopoly on wheat and barley exports from western Canada. The Conservative government in Canada has announced it plans to introduce legislation later this year to end the Wheat Board’s monopoly. That was welcome to news to the man who will take over the chairmanship of U.S. Wheat Associates this summer, Randy Suess of Colfax, Washington. Suess: “We hope we can compete with them on a level playing field like everyone else around the world. They are the last remaining one and of course Russia is trying to establish one right now so that is kind of interesting that they want a state trading enterprise to sell the wheat for the farmers. But I think Canadians have realized it was really hurting them. (Hoff: And as I understand they have the votes to do it on their own.”) That‘s what I heard that they do have the votes. And the date I saw was the end of August. This would be accomplished by then and that is just around the corner.” Actually the Canadian Agriculture Minister says the legislation would take effect in August of 2012. U.S. Wheat Associates is the export market development organization of the U.S. wheat industry and its president, Alan Tracy, says they are confident that the entire global wheat supply chain would benefit from the significant change to the Canadian Wheat Board. Australia ended its wheat board’s monopoly a few years ago. I’m Bob Hoff and the Northwest Farm and Ranch Report on Northwest Aginfo Net. ? ? ?
