Newsroom
2002
February 14, 2002
CWB expects no less than fair trading ruling from
USTR
Winnipeg - The CWB will expect nothing less than
the ruling that it is a fair trader when the United States Trade
Representative Richard Zoellick hands down his anticipated
decision tomorrow. The USTR has been investigating the trading
practices of the CWB since October 2000 after aggressive lobbying
from the North Dakota Wheat Commission.
As part of its investigation, the USTR asked the International
Trade Commission to conduct a fact-finding mission and report
back. In late December 2001, the ITC released a report that found
the CWB to be trading fairly. In fact, the report clearly
dispelled any suspicion of unfair trading practices, finding that
Canadian wheat prices often surpassed U.S. wheat prices.
"If the USTR ignores the findings of its own fact-finding mission
and proposes further trade harassment, it will be abundantly
clear that Ambassador Zoellick is making a purely political
recommendation," said Greg Arason, President and CEO of the CWB.
"Our farmers and our system deliver the highest quality grain in
the world and we don"t have to cut prices to move it -- to the
contrary, it attracts premiums."
Arason said regardless of tomorrow"s ruling, the CWB will
continue to serve customers for wheat, durum wheat and
barley.
This is the ninth trade challenge initiated by the U.S.
government against Prairie farmers since 1990. The previous eight
challenges have upheld the CWB as a fair trader by all
international standards.
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 grain to
more than 70 countries and returns all sales revenue, less the
costs of marketing, to Prairie farmers.