'We won': union applauds upheld barley monopoly

'We won': union applauds upheld barley monopoly
Agriculture minister to examine 'what else is possible'
Last Updated: Wednesday, August 1, 2007 | 9:07 AM CT
CBC News

The National Farmers' Union and officials with the Canadian Wheat Board are applauding a federal court decision that derailed the federal government's plan to end the board's monopoly on western barley sales.

Chuck Strahl, minister of agriculture and agri-food and minister for the Canadian Wheat Board, said he was 'most disappointed' by the ruling.
(Tom Hanson/Canadian Press)
In a ruling issued Tuesday, Federal Court Judge Dolores Hansen said the government overstepped its authority earlier this year when it passed a new regulation that would have allowed farmers to sell their barley independently starting Aug. 1.

The decision is a victory for supporters of the wheat board, who argue that having all barley sales handled through the board gives farmers better prices.

"Farmers went to court to protect our right to collectively, democratically, and properly determine how we market grain. We won," said NFU president Stewart Wells, one of the 12 applicants that brought the case to the Federal Court.

"Farmers hope the federal government will now use some common sense and not appeal this decision. It is also our hope that the government will now stop interfering in CWB business and let the CWB maximize the returns from grain marketing and get that money back to farmers."

'Most disappointed': agriculture minister

Bill Toews, director for the wheat board's district 10 in southern Manitoba, said he's happy with the decision, but added that the matter should not have gone to court in the first place.

"My view is, it could have had a constructive dialogue quite some time ago and not ended up in this situation," he said.

"It caused us significant chaos in the barley industry and was really unnecessary. So I'm really hopeful that we do have a more positive relationship with the federal government and I hope they see it the same way."

The federal government had argued Ottawa did have the authority to make the change, noting that barley was added to the wheat board's jurisdiction by regulation, so it can be changed by regulation.

Federal Agriculture Minister Chuck Strahl said he is "most disappointed" with the decision and the government is examining its options, including parliamentary change.

"It'll be on the options table for sure. Whether we do it or not is too early to say, but … I've always understood that that is one of the options," he told CBC Wednesday morning.

"Our hope and our understanding, frankly, was that … we could make these changes by regulation," he added. "The court has said now at this level that that's not an option, so we'll have to look at what else is possible."

In a mail-in plebiscite earlier this year, about 62 per cent of the 29,000 barley farmers in western Canada said they wanted the choice of where to sell their barley — or they wanted the board out of barley marketing altogether.