OTTAWA – Leon Benoit, Member of Parliament for Vegreville-Wainwright was pleased to see the results of the barley plebiscite. “Our government made a commitment to give farmers a say on the issue, particularly on barley marketing,” stated Benoit during Wednesday night’s debate in the House. “The results of the vote are clear -- 62% of farmers chose to operate other than through the monopoly provided by the Canadian Wheat Board – almost 80% in Alberta.”

“We made a promise and we kept it,” said Benoit. “We consulted western Canadian barley producers on how they wanted to market their grain. Over 29,000 of them voted, and they chose choice in marketing.”

The plebiscite was conducted by the independent firm KPMG.

Benoit explained that Canada’s new Government will proceed quickly with changes to Canadian Wheat Board (CWB) regulations and remove barley from the CWB monopoly. “We will also be consulting with the board of directors of the CWB as we move forward with marketing choice to ensure that the CWB will remain a viable option for producers,” he explained.

“Our intention is to make marketing choice for western Canada’s barley growers a reality by August 1st of this year,” Benoit continued. “Farmers who plan to begin seeding in the next few weeks should do so with confidence that Canada’s new Government is working to let them decide how they wish to sell it. We will put in place regulations so that farmers will be able to make the economic and marketing decision that are right for their situations.”
“I am a farmer,” concludes Benoit. “I have about 2,000 acres of grain land. I don’t farm myself anymore, but I rent out on a crop share so I still sell grain. I am delighted that I as a farmer finally have this choice.”

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