The Canadian Grain Commission should show more leadership in finding an alternative to the kernel visual distinguishability system of inspecting and grading grain, a Saskatchewan Wheat Pool official said last week.
“KVD is not serving us well,” said SWP vice-president Richard Wansbutter during a workshop on fusarium head blight. “KVD has outlived its usefulness.”
He said grain testing should be based on sophisticated technical analysis of levels of toxin, sprouting or other problems with grain delivered to an elevator, rather than the subjective judgment of an inspector who looks at it.
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“We need to move from subjective to objective testing,” he said, arguing that Canadian government regulators such as the grain commission are cautious and slow to embrace change.
“It is one of the big frustrations of producers and the industry. Regulators are too cautious. We need leadership from the government to resolve the issue.”
Wansbutter said KVD also limits the ability of the commission to police unlicensed grain that is making its way into the system.
Gordon Harrison, president of the Canadian National Millers’ Association, agreed with Wansbutter that the industry needs a fast, affordable and reliable grain test.
“Five years ago, we said the needed technology was five years away,” he said. “Now, we are still saying it is five years away. If we are to compete, there has to be innovation.”
Wansbutter said he did not mean to be too harsh on the commission because it has “tried to recognize the problem in some ways.”
But he said the commission has not yet showed the political leadership necessary to begin working on a solution.
“KVD is not going to end overnight but we need to get our government and regulatory bodies to take the initiative, to get industry and science and regulators together to find out how we move. We need to talk about next steps. We should have been doing it years ago.”
Meanwhile, an opposition MP suggested last week that the government is dragging its feet in organizing a review of the Canadian Grain Commission that was called for by Parliament last summer.
In May, as the price for allowing quick passage of minor government amendments to the Canada Grains Act to comply with a World Trade Organization ruling on how Canada treats American grain, the opposition forced an amendment that requires a review and report on the operations of the commission by July 31, 2006.
While the government has said preparations are being made to organize a review, Saskatchewan Conservative MP Gerry Ritz said Nov. 3 the Liberals appear to be in no hurry.
“They didn’t want this review and will do as little as they can,” he said. “And they are running out of time, more than three months into the year and it hasn’t even started, with the holidays coming and then an election when not much gets done. But by law, they have no choice but to do this.”
