The Western Canadian Wheat Growers Association is frustrated the Federal Government continues to throw money at supply management.
The Group's Alberta Director and Fort Macleod grain farmer, Stephen Vandervalk, says the Government's promised supply managed sectors an over $4 billion compensation package for allowing foreign access to a small percentage of their Canadian market in recent trade deals, and the latest $16.9 million in federal funding to the dairy sector is the icing on the cake.
He says grain farmers continue to lose market access for Canadian grains, pulses and oilseeds to countries like China, which has left him wondering where the Government's priorities are as supply managed sectors only represent under 10 per cent of Canadian producers.
"They don't have a new ambassador to China, there's just no plan whatsoever," Vandervalk said. "There's no solution in sight and then you see money being handed out to other sectors for something that is far less of an issue than what we're facing."
Vandervalk stresses supply management didn't necessarily lose roughly 7 per cent of their Canadian market in trade negotiations, as it's just a small portion which is now open to foreign companies to compete in.
The Wheat Growers says over the past two years farmers have also lost market access for their products exported to India, Italy, Peru, Vietnam, and Saudi Arabia resulting in a potential loss of over $3.7 billion, which Vandervalk attributes to the Government's failures on the world stage.
Click here to see more...