The Canadian Grain Commission has announced two new programs aimed at assuring the quality of Canadian grain shipped in containers.
The Accredited Container Sampler Program and the Certified Container Sampling Program were launched Aug. 1.
The voluntary programs are designed to address industry concerns and ensure that the grain shipped in containers meets the expectations of domestic and overseas buyers.
In the past, samples taken from shipping containers have not always been representative of the grain being transported.
In some cases, buyers have rejected containerized grain shipments because they were dissatisfied with the grade or quality of the delivered product.
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Under the new programs, Canadian elevator companies, shippers and third-party companies can apply to the grain commission to become accredited or certified grain samplers.
The programs ensure that participating companies use established protocols and that the samples taken are representative of the entire shipment.
Samples are then inspected by the commission and inspection certificates are issued.
Inspection certificates can be used to reassure buyers and address commercial disputes that may arise.
Melonie Stoughton-Ens, a technical adviser with the grain commission, said the programs were developed in response to industry needs, particularly in the pulse and special crops industries.
The elimination of single–desk grain marketing in Western Canada is also expected to result in a significant increase in containerized wheat shipments to domestic and overseas buyers.
Under the Canada Grains Act, containerized grain is not subject to mandatory inspection by the grain commission prior to export.
“The idea behind these programs is that the companies taking the samples have a quality management system in place, that they’re following Canadian Grain Commission protocols and using representative sampling methods,” said Stoughton-Ens.
“This is … the due diligence that a company can perform to ensure that they’ve done everything possible to take a representative sample.”
Annual accreditation fees for the two programs are $5,000, but those fees will be waived during the programs’ first year of operation to allow companies to assess their business potential.
More information can be found at www.grainscanada.gc.ca/index-eng.htm by selecting the link labeled Information for Industry.
Three companies have been certified under the CCSP since the programs were launched, and eight others are preparing for certification.
The CCSP and ACSP are the only sampling programs approved under the European Union’s flaxseed testing protocol to detect genetically modified material in Canadian flax shipments.
“We worked very closely with industry to develop these programs based on industry need,” Stoughton-Ens said.
“Especially in the special crops sector, I think this program is going to grow … and I think it will also be interesting to see … now that the (single desk) has been dissolved, what kind of uptake we will have with other elevators.”
