Policy
I support Western grain growers in their call for an immediate reduction on Grain Commission fees.
The Grain Commission is a federal government agency that is responsible for grain grading at elevators and a few other regulatory tasks in the grain industry. Grading determines the quality of the grain, and that quality level determines what price farmers can get for their shipment to international buyers.
In order to cover its operating costs, the Grain Commission charges a levy to farmers.
It is important that an independent third-party such as the Commission do the grading before the grain is sold. The farmers support the Commission and don’t object to the levy.
However, the levy per grain shipment has been too high for the last year and the Commission now has a surplus of $100M. This is unfair and amounts to overtaxation.
The Western Canadian Grain Farmers are thus asking the Grain Commission to return the surplus funds to farmers and to lower the levy going forward. They deserve our support.
