Grain Growers Want To See Trade Strategies In Federal Election

Sep 18, 2019

The chair of Grain Growers of Canada has been left asking what Canada's political parties plan to do to re-open markets for agricultural trade.

The group, which represents over 65,000 grain, oilseed and pulse producers across the country, released a statement calling for political leaders to share their plans to get trade back on track for export-orientated farmers.

Jeff Nielsen says they've yet to hear anything concrete from major or political leaders regarding trade.

"We all know China is a big hot topic right now, but it just emphasizes the fact that we've been going through several years of some trade issues."

The Grain Growers statement continues, farmers have borne the brunt of the cost associated with halted durum wheat trade with Italy, the shutdown of pulse products shipped into India, and persistent challenges with Vietnam and Saudi Arabia.

Nielsen explains whoever wins this election will be inheriting this situation and must have a strategy in place to address it in the short-term.

The Grain Growers point to numbers from Stats Canada to illustrate the negative impact of volatility in export markets on hard working farm families.

They say the Canadian government agency reported Canadian farmers saw net farm income fall by 45 per cent in 2018, marking the second-consecutive annual drop in income and the lowest reported in eight years.

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Video: Evolution of Beef Cattle Farming

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That philosophy aligned naturally with Wooten’s involvement in the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, where he served as a representative for the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association. The roundtable brings together the entire beef supply chain—from producers to retailers—along with universities, NGOs, and allied industries. Its goal is not regulation, Wooten emphasized, but collaboration, shared learning, and continuous improvement.