CGC’s Improved Grain Grading Dispute Resolution Process Helps Farmers, Says NFU
Hanley, SK – The National Farmers Union (NFU) is pleased with the changes to the Canadian Grain Commission’s grain grading dispute resolution service formerly called “Subject to Inspector’s Grade and Dockage” Read more
Union Farmer Newsletter: September 2022
In this issue: Seed Regulatory Modernization – What’s it all about? Pest Management Regulatory Agency Legislative Review Putting Limits on Farmland Investment Companies Seed Regulatory Modernization – What’s it all Read more
Take Action: Stop the CFIA from abandoning GM seed regulation!
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) wants to make gene-edited genetically engineered (genetically modified or GM) plants and seed exempt from regulation. Instead, it would let private companies decide if Read more
Canadian Grain Commission Science Strategy Public Engagement
The National Farmers Union (NFU) is pleased to provide input regarding the research and science-based activities currently carried out at the Canadian Grain Commission (CGC). The NFU strongly supports maintaining Read more
Submission to CGC “Subject to Inspector’s Grade and Dockage” consultation
The NFU supports the CGC's proposed changes to "subject to" framework. The CGC’s authority to enforce grade and dockage through binding determination in the event of a dispute provides farmers with a power-balancing force against companies that are able to unfairly downgrade and thereby discount grain delivered to the country elevator. Read more
Passez à l’action : Arrêtez l’ACIA d’abandonner la réglementation sur les semences GM !
L’Agence canadienne d’inspection des aliments (ACIA) veut exempter des règlements les plantes et les semences transgéniques (génétiquement modifiées ou GM). Au lieu de ça, elle laissserait les compagnies privées décider Read more
Request for investigation of fertilizer pricing in Canada
On January 12, the NFU sent the following letter asking the Chair of the House of Commons Standing Committee on Agriculture and Agri-Food to launch an investigation into fertilizer prices. Read more
Grocery Prices are Rising and Farmers’ Share Declining as Corporate Processors and Retailers Take More and More
Swift Current, SK—Retail food prices are rising. To explain these increases, many commentators point to rising prices for farm products and cite drought, other production problems, the pandemic, or supply-chain Read more
Strengthening the Canada Grain Act and the CGC is critical to farmers’ future
"Changes in the grain handling system since the last major review of the Act have resulted in gaps where CGC lacks the authority to fully safeguard farmers’ interests. The need for a strong regulator has not gone away,” said NFU 2nd VP Stewart Wells. The Act is the solid foundation of our grain economy, our farmers’ livelihoods and our domestic and international customers’ confidence. The NFU is pleased to offer recommendations for making the CGA and the CGC even stronger Read more
NFU Submission to Canada Grain Act Review
The National Farmers Union (NFU) is pleased to provide input to the federal government’s review of the Canada Grain Act and the Canadian Grain Commission. The Canadian Grain Commission (CGC), the Canada Grain Act (CGA) and its regulations are foundational to Canada’s agricultural economy. The value that the CGC brings to the Canadians in general and to farmers in particular cannot be overstated. The CGC was established in 1912 to bring fairness, transparency, confidence, and order to Canada’s grain sector. The mandate of the CGC is “the Commission shall, in the interests of the grain producers, establish and maintain standards of quality for Canadian grain and regulate grain handling in Canada, to ensure a dependable commodity for domestic and export markets.” The CGC’s effective use of its regulatory authority and mandate is the solid foundation upon which the Canadian grain sector’s enviable reputation and excellent trade position has been built. The CGC’s mandate must not be altered. Canada’s many individual farmers share common interests and they must deal with grain buyers who are fewer, wealthier and much more powerful. The CGC mandate recognizes that the interests of farmers and grain companies are generally in opposition, and that is necessary to balance the lopsided power relationship with effective regulatory authority that safeguards the interests of grain producers. By growing crops, farmers provide the wealth that supports the whole grain trade and its tens of billions of dollars’ worth of annual spin-off multiplier effects in the Canadian economy. The CGC’s proper role is to ensure that farmers are treated fairly, not only when they make individual transactions with grain companies, but also by preventing corruption of the grain system as a whole. The CGC’s authority to establish and maintain quality ensures that the grain which farmers produce has high value, and retains its integrity and thus its value, through to its purchase by an end user. Read more