As the Canadian Wheat Board continues to talk with farmers and the malting industry about its new barley program, the federal minister of agriculture has stepped into the fray.
Gerry Ritz has invited the board, malting and grain industry officials and as-yet-unidentified producer groups to a meeting in Ottawa next week.
The minister said in a news release the Jan. 29 meeting will focus on “finding ways to move toward marketing choice for barley growers.”
A spokesperson for Ritz said Jan. 18 the meeting’s invitation list had not been finalized.
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A member of Friends of the CWB issued a statement saying the meeting is reminiscent of the July 2006 meeting organized by Ritz’s predecessor Chuck Strahl, to which only groups supporting an open market were invited.
Bob Roehle said his group will ask for an invitation and that the government pay expenses for the trip. He urged other farm groups that support the single desk to do the same.
The Ottawa meeting will likely look at the board’s CashPlus program, which the board says provides malting barley growers with more flexibility and marketing choice.
The plan has been rejected by malting and grain companies and farm groups that want to end the board’s single desk. They say the program is confusing and unworkable and fails to provide accurate price signals to farmers.
Under CashPlus, farmers can lock in a guaranteed minimum cash price for their malting barley. The price will reflect the value at which the board is selling to overseas and domestic buyers and will change as markets change. Farmers can negotiate premiums and discounts with the selecting company.
Any revenue from sales of contracted barley above the contract prices will be returned to contract holders at the end of the year.
The board will continue to operate a traditional pool alongside CashPlus.
While the industry and some farm groups have nixed CashPlus, farmers attending information meetings in recent weeks in Regina, Saskatoon and Brandon have been more receptive.
“There’s no doubt farmers have different perspectives, but we do see a lot of interest from producers in the program,” said Greg Arason, the wheat board’s chief executive officer.
He said the board hopes the meeting will also focus on the merits of CashPlus as a business plan and stay away from politics.
