Canada’s grain inspectors say this country’s grain quality control system is being put at risk.
“The bottom line is to protect the producer and we’re seeing tampering with that,” said Janice Hilton, an assistant grain inspector at Thunder Bay, Ont.
The inspectors are unhappy with a recommendation by their employer, the Canadian Grain Commission, to end the practice of fully inspecting every rail car of grain that arrives at a terminal or transfer elevator.
Instead, the commission wants to offer a “base level” of service, with on-site inspection for protein and moisture content only. Samples would be taken and sent to a central location for further analysis and official grading. Grain shippers would pay fees for additional services.
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The commission also said eventually it could simply audit inspection, sampling and grading carried out by grain company personnel.
More than 70 inspectors and weighers at Thunder Bay last week signed a letter to federal agriculture minister Lyle Vanclief expressing concern about the impact of the proposal on their jobs and on farmers.
“This will seriously harm the reputation of Canada’s grain quality,” said the letter.
“Any error in shipping as a result of no inward inspection in the terminals will result in huge losses that can only negate any gains hoped to be achieved by this system.”
Letters and information packages on the issue were also sent to the prime minister, members of Parliament, the Canadian Wheat Board and the grain commission’s assistant commissioners.
“We don’t think enough people understand fully and simply the ramifications of this,” said Hilton. “We’re going to keep the spotlight on this so everyone knows what’s at stake.”
Similar concerns about the grain commission proposal have been voiced by the National Farmers Union.
Currently, every rail car arriving at a terminal or transfer elevator is inspected by a grain commission employee. A sample is taken to establish grade, dockage, moisture and protein levels and to check for contamination or infestation.
The results of that inspection also form the basis for the wheat board’s financial settlement with the sender of the car.
In its program review, the commission said inward inspection provides revenues of $7.6 million, but costs $13.9 million.
It said the proposed changes would not threaten quality control.
Gord Flaten, director of market development for the wheat board, said there are many questions to be answered.
“We need some assurance that this will not cause any problem in the quality of grain leaving the terminals.”
Flaten said the board will also want to be sure that every car is graded accurately to aid financial settlement with the shipper.
The commission said the same data will be collected, although it may come a day later.
“Certainly any inordinate delays would cause us problems, but we need to talk operationally about what kind of delay would be acceptable,” said Flaten.
Grain commission chief commissioner Barry Senft said he feels confident the commission can lay people’s fears to rest.
“We believe that with this proposal we can do the same job and not jeopardize quality and save farmers $3 million in the process,” he said, adding that he hopes the new inspection system can begin Aug. 1.
The grain inspectors say that delaying the inspection by one day could have serious consequences.
“By then the grain is in the terminal somewhere,” said Hilton.
They say centralized inspection poses a number of problems:
- Specific grain shipments could be transferred to general storage and mixed with other grain before problems like animal excrement or poisonous compounds are recognized.
- It will be too late to inform terminal managers of special handling or cleaning requirements.
- Stakeholders may not receive stocks information in a timely manner.
- Grain could be loaded on to a vessel before inward inspection has been carried out.
But Senft said a one-day delay in collecting the data and assigning an official grade is not a big deal.
“It won’t affect binning because in the vast majority of cases the grain is already binned by the time our grade comes in,” he said. “If there was an issue, it would be raised with the terminal operator as it is today.”
He added that only one elevator in Thunder Bay and the terminal at Prince Rupert, B.C., have grain commission graders on site. At other locations, grading is done by grain company personnel. If there is a difference of opinion, the commission grade will be the basis for settlement between the shipper and the wheat board.
