Wheat producers gave a strong mandate for keeping the single-desk after results for the Canadian Wheat Board Producer Plebiscite were announced this morning. However, support for marketing barley through the single-desk was nearly a 50-50 split.
A total of 62 per cent of wheat growers (22,764) voted in favour of maintaining their ability to market all wheat through the CWB, while 38 per cent (14,059 producers) voted in favour of an open-market system.
The barley marketing plebiscite question was nearly split down the middle, with 51 per cent of barley growers (6,283 producers) voting in support of keeping barley within the CWB's single-desk marketing system, while 49 per cent (6,014 farmers) voted in favour of moving barley into an open-market system.
MNP, the official coordinator of the 2011 CWB Producer Plebiscite, noted that the participation rate for returned ballots was 56 per cent (55 per cent of those who grew wheat, 47 per cent of those who grew barley, and 60 per cent of those who grew both).
"Farmers have spoken. Their message is loud and clear, and the government must listen," said Allen Oberg, chair of the CWB's farmer-controlled board of directors. "Western Canadian producers have voted to keep their single-desk marketing system for wheat and barley. They cannot be ignored.
"We will not sit back and watch this government steamroll over farmers. We are going to stand our ground and fight for farmers."
The National Farmers Union (NFU) is also calling on federal Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz to respect prairie producers support for the CWB.
“Farmers have clearly shown that they support the single desk, and the advantages it clearly brings, just as they always have. The message that farmers have sent Ritz is crystal clear. It is absolutely necessary that he respect the wishes of the majority of Western grain farmers, and abandon his plans to eliminate the single desk,” said NFU President Terry Boehm.
"It is simply bad public policy to eliminate something as beneficial as the CWB,” added Boehm. “Why would Minister Ritz spend his time and our tax dollars to do something this harmful to our economy and farmers?” asked Boehm.
"We’ve always known that the majority of farmers support the single desk. This plebiscite has confirmed this once again,” stated Boehm.
The federal government has announced plans to remove the CWB single desk by Aug. 1, 2012, with legislation scheduled to be introduced this fall paving the way for that change.
Oberg argues that the results of the plebiscite should impact Ottawa's decisions regarding the CWB.
"For months, Minister Ritz has been claiming that the recent federal election was a mandate for the government to dismantle the CWB. Now we know otherwise. There is no mandate from farmers to strip away their marketing power."
Last week the Western Canadian Wheat Growers Association called on the federal government to disregard the results of the plebiscite
"The entire design of this vote was geared toward producing a result in favour of the monopoly," stated Kevin Bender, President of the Wheat Growers. "The government should ignore the results and move full steam ahead with plans to give us our marketing freedom."
Canadian Wheat Board vote, regardless of the outcome, and to move forward quickly with legislation that provides grain marketing freedom to prairie farmers."
Throughout the plebiscite campaign the Wheat Growers encouraged farmers to boycott the vote, as they argued that every farmer should be free to sell his grain to a buyer of his choice.
"Our farm certainly didn't vote in this bogus exercise," says Cherilyn Nagel, Past President of the Wheat Growers. "No farmer should have the right to tell another farmer how to market their grain."
The Wheat Growers also contended that past CWB surveys have been rigged to under-represent the views of Alberta farmers, where support for marketing choice is highest.
"We call on the federal government to disregard this illegitimate vote," says Bender. "My right to sell my grain should not be undermined by the CWB or the results of its phony plebiscite."
The Western Barley Growers Association (WBGA) had called the plebiscite both meaningless and irrelevant, while arguing the plebiscite was undemocratic.
"Anyone who believes in democracy would not conduct a vote that would allow one farmer can take away the right of another farmer to choose how they market their grain", stated Brian Otto, president of the WBGA.
"The past 10 years of CWB surveys have consistently shown that barley producers have wanted an open market for barley and the CWB has consistently ignored the results of these surveys. In the last three years, the CWB surveys have also shown that the majority farmers less than 40 years of age want an open market and again the CWB has ignored the results," he said.
Otto questioned if the CWB was ignoring the results of past CWB surveys, why were they conducting this plebiscite?
"Conducting a plebiscite that will likely attract a very low participation level amongst farmers, demonstrates farmers have moved on. The fact that the voters list was flawed from the start in that it included deceased producers, multiple ballots going out to one farm operation, ballots going out to people who are no longer farming, or going back five years on CWB deliveries for voter eligibility, makes the results meaningless and a tragic waste of farmers money," Otto argued.
The WBGA notes they have been hearing from farmers that they need price transparency, clear market signals, the ability to deliver and price their grain to meet the cash flow requirements of their farms.
"These changes will occur after August 1, 2012 and farmers can look forward to having the ability to make more reliable business decisions for their farm operations", comments Otto.
"The results of this latest CWB plebiscite are irrelevant. Farmers have said they want an open market that is commercial and competitive and the existing CWB monopoly is preventing this from happening. It is time for the directors of the CWB to quit squandering producer's money on needless plebiscites and move forward to develop a plan for those producers who want a CWB that will market their grain under a pooling system in an open market. That is what producers expect from their elected directors," the WBGA press release stated.
