The federal government has decided not to proceed with new trials against 16 farmers who were charged with illegally taking their grain across the U.S. border.
A spokesperson for the justice department said July 4 that department officials recommended no further legal action because farmers had ceased trying to bypass the Canadian Wheat Board.
“There is no value to the public by pursuing the matter,” said Derrick Pieters.
In May, the Saskatchewan Court of Appeal set aside convictions of 22 farmers, quashing the convictions of six and ordering new trials for 16 others.
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The written decision said the farmers were acting properly when they tried to report to customs officers as they took wheat and barley into the United States in the spring of 1996. The farmers were charged under the reporting of exported goods regulations in the Customs Act.
Customs officers erred when they asked only for Canadian Wheat Board licences and didn’t accept other documents, said the decision written by justice William Vancise.
He wrote that the facts surrounding 16 of the farmers’ cases were unclear and that’s why he ordered new trials.
There were originally more than 60 farmers involved. However, some pleaded guilty and paid their fines while others went through the court process before paying their fines.
The federal government has since tightened rules on grain exports.
