April 3, 2007

CWB to lose control over barley 
 

Canada's Agriculture Minister Chuck Strahl said on March 28 that the Canadian Wheat Board (CWB) will lose control over barley marketing by August 1 this year. 

Strahl announced the news in the light of controversial producers' plebiscite in Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and British Columbia.

He said CWB's losing control on barley is to give Canadian farmers a "voice in favour of its marketing choice and an opportunity in the coming crop year."

Parliamentary approval is not needed, he explained. The minority government is convinced it can remove CWB's single desk powers through regulation.

But CWB supporters disagree as it cautioned the government stripping the board of its power could well trigger some trade disputes.

Strahl's August 1 promise is just the latest development in a bitter battle over CWB that has roiled across prairie farm communities since the Conservatives were elected in January 2006. A promised vote over wheat has yet to be scheduled.