Canada: Government committed to delivering barley marketing freedom to Western Canadian farmers

The Honourable Gerry Ritz, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food and Minister for the Canadian Wheat Board, today issued the following statement regarding the Canadian Wheat Board's next steps for getting to barley marketing choice, Marketwire reported February 4.

"On January 29th, I hosted a meeting that included leaders from throughout the barley value chain as well as Western provincial governments and Canadian Wheat Board representatives. The message coming out of that meeting was clear: Western Canadian barley producers must have the freedom to market their own barley and they must have that freedom now. That meeting gave the CWB a clear mandate to take back to the board of directors meeting in Winnipeg as both producer groups and the Government of Canada called for a clear roadmap to barley marketing freedom.

"The CWB responded with a positive first step on February 1st. I am encouraged by the CWB's initiative to strike a committee and their request for a meeting with the Government to explore opportunities to work together toward barley marketing freedom. I take the CWB's request in good faith and look forward to making real progress in discussions with CWB that will be held in the coming days.

"As I work with the CWB to outline a roadmap to barley marketing freedom, the Government continues to move forward on all fronts to give Western Canadian barley producers the choice they deserve. I remain committed to introducing legislation to accomplish that goal.

"The Government of Canada is listening to Western Canadian barley producers as they call for change and I am encouraged by the CWB's willingness to join us in working toward that change."

06 February, 2008