Newsroom
2005
Farmer power and financial gain essential for success at WTO, says CWB President
November 29, 2005
Winnipeg - A new World Trade Organization (WTO) deal will only be good for western Canadian farmers if it enhances their power and improves their income, according to CWB president and CEO Adrian Measner.
"A new deal would have to be measured against three key elements," said Measner, who tomorrow addresses the Grain Industry Symposium in Ottawa. "It must be a deal where farmers are assured of some power: especially in a marketplace where 70 per cent of the grain trade is controlled by four multinational companies.
"It must be a deal where farmers can make financial gains. It must also be built upon a sustainable framework that allows Canadian producers to achieve success in the long term. Without these elements, it cannot be considered a successful agreement for farmers."
Measner joins other grain-industry stakeholders at Ottawa's Crowne Plaza tomorrow to participate in a panel on the fundamental changes to Canadian agriculture that may result from WTO negotiations -- which are now at a crucial time. An important Ministerial meeting in Hong Kong December 13 to 18 will set the tone for a draft deal, which must be worked out soon or risk complete collapse of the trade talks.
Proposals so far at the WTO contain no significant gains for Canadian farmers in terms of cuts to foreign farm subsidies or improved market access for their products.
"We can certainly define what farmers here stand to lose, but not what they would achieve in return," Measner said. "That is cause for significant concern."
The CWB's single-desk marketing structure has been targeted for elimination by the Americans and Europeans during the talks, despite repeated international confirmation that it does not distort trade. Although there is no legitimate trade policy rationale for this move, it means foreign governments may be handed the power to dictate what sort of marketing system Canadian farmers can use.
"The loss of the single desk means the loss of the CWB," Measner said. "The Americans will have won their wheat war against us."
Controlled by western Canadian farmers, the CWB is the largest wheat and barley marketer in the world. As one of Canada's biggest exporters, the Winnipeg-based organization sells to over 70 countries and returns all sales revenue, less marketing costs, to Prairie farmers.
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