During the federal government’s consultations for the Canada Grain Act review, farmers were surprised to learn that the majority of the CGC’s operating costs are covered by revenues from mandatory inspection fees of export vessels of grain. Those inspection costs are passed onto farmers through lower grain prices, as the CGC’s regulatory costs are hidden in the grain basis.

“Mandatory outward weighing and inspection by the CGC is a redundant service since 70 to 80 percent of grain contracts require a second inspection by a private, third-party company. Private companies can offer this service cheaper than the CGC, yet the CGC continues to offer this duplicated service,”

says Tara Sawyer, Alberta Barley chair.

The CGC has accumulated a $148 million surplus, which will continue to grow due to the large volume of grain being moved in the current crop year. The CGC needs to adjust its funding model to expect variation and adopt a model that will allow excess funds to be returned to farmers through reduced operating fees.

“As part of the Canada Grain Act review, we identified that the landscape of international grain trade has changed and Canadian farmers need the CGC to adapt as well. It’s time for the CGC to transition away from being a service provider as their high cost of inspections is affecting our competitiveness,”

says Todd Hames, Alberta Wheat Commission chair.

Source: Alberta Wheat and Barley

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