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The Marketing Freedom for Grain Farmers Act
The Marketing Freedom for Grain Farmers Act was tabled by the Harper Government on October 18, 2011, and received Royal Assent on December 15, 2011. With the coming into force of the Act, Western Canadian farmers may now choose how they market their crops for the first time in 70 years and may contract their wheat and barley to the buyer of their choice, like farmers in other parts of the country. The voluntary Canadian Wheat Board (CWB) remains a viable marketing option for Canadian farmers and is poised to compete for farmers’ business in this new era of marketing freedom.
Western grain producers grow world-class food in a global marketplace that is ripe with opportunity. With global population increasing every year and demand for high quality food and agriculture products on the rise, the Act puts wheat and barley farmers back in the driver's seat so they can seize these opportunities.
The Harper Government continues to work with its provincial counterparts, producer groups and the CWB to ensure an orderly transition to an open and competitive Canadian grain market.
Canada is the world’s fifth-largest exporter of agriculture and food products, with exports hitting an all-time high of more than $40 billion in 2011.
Additional information on marketing freedom can be found at www.agr.gc.ca/freedom.
