Canada's ag industry develops plan to keep grain moving

Canada's agriculture industry has developed a 4-point plan to keep Canadian grain moving.

"It came about because we've got such pressure on the supply chain and the global food supply right now that Canada's farmers and processors and exporters are being called upon by governments and other countries around the world to step up and provide more food for the world. We created this Canada's Ready campaign to increase awareness and let the world know that our farmers, processors, and exporters are ready to step up and deliver Canadian product to the world," said Kevin Auch, chair of Pulse Canada. "Canada grain is needed more than ever and we need to work as an industry with our governments, because governments can shine in this too right now by facilitating some of this stuff that's going on. Our transportation system hasn't been performing as well as it could have and governments have a role in making that happen."

1. Show the Plan

Rail: CN and CP must provide detailed, transparent plans on how they plan to move grain based on the template provided by the grain sector.

Containers: Container lines serving Canada should provide a clear indication of the expected capacity of their export program that will be made available each month for agriculture exports.

2. Protect the Plan

The formation of an Industry/Government Labour Council to track the progress of the collective agreement negotiations. There are 12 CN and CP labour agreements that are expired or will expire in 2022 alone.

3. Work the Plan

Rail: CN and CP must provide monthly updates on their plans based on the latest forecasts.

Containers: Container lines serving Canada should provide monthly updates on their export program, including the expected capacity that will be made available each month for agriculture exports

4. Measure and Optimize the Plan

Support the increased utilization of comprehensive performance measurement programs – such as the Ag Transport Coalition for rail – to measure how service providers are meeting their plans and outline improvements for the future.