Officials suggested that grain importers should look elsewhere
By Diego Flammini
Staff Writer
Farms.com
One of Canada’s partners in the CPTPP may stop imports of Canadian wheat.
Vietnam is considering suspending these imports because of thistle seeds in the shipments. The Asian country has received several wheat shipments contaminated with thistle seed since May, Reuters reported.
The potential import suspension could also apply to Russian and Australian wheat, and Vietnamese officials suggested grain importers consider purchasing grain from countries like Kazakhstan or Argentina.
Canada exported about US$3.1-million worth of wheat to Vietnam in 2014, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada says.
Canadian wheat producers feel Vietnam’s potential decision could be part of a larger plan for the country to negotiate a trade deal.
“That’s unbelievable,” Stephen Vandervalk, a wheat producer from Fort Macleod, Alta. and the Alberta vice-president of the Western Canadian Wheat Growers, told Farms.com. He is also a past president of Grain Growers of Canada.
“I’ve been involved in farm politics for about 15 years and that’s the first I’ve heard of refusing shipments because of Canada thistle,” he said.
“That’s a flat out non-tariff trade barrier. Vietnam is either trying to negotiate something or maybe they’ve got too much wheat.”
Ensuring grain is clean and free of weed seeds falls on the shoulders of grain handlers and elevators.
“The elevators are charging farmers for dockage,” he said. “If the grain is cleaned properly, there shouldn’t be any weed seed in there.”
Controlling Canada thistle is a challenge for growers. And if Vietnam proceeds with this suspension, it could spell trouble for farmers.
Farmers only have a few herbicide options available, but they cannot apply any herbicides pre-harvest, Vandervalk added.
“So,if we can’t spray the crop and (countries) begin to reject it because of weed seed, you might as well just stop farming,” he said. “Especially in Western Canada because we don’t have much of a domestic wheat market.”
Farms.com has reached out to grain elevators for comment.
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