One
of the more commonly expressed concerns about farm organizations and their impact is that they divide the industry,
that there are too many organizations pulling in different directions. But one group that has emerged within the
past year is pushing for a more unified approach to farm lobbying. The Grain Growers of Canada (GGC) was formed
last June and lists the Ontario Corn Producers' Association among its members.
Kevin Muxlow, executive director of the GGC, was at this year's annual general meeting, March 6th in London and
started his session by acknowledging the fractious nature of farm organizations in Canada. He also stopped short
of criticizing their varied interests.
“Farmers themselves aren't mono-croppers -they don't just grow barley or grow corn,” said Muxlow, formerly with
the Alberta Barley Commission. “In that sense, people want to be able to speak to grain growers, not specific interests.”
Kevin Muxlow, Executive Director,
Grain Growers of Canada
He also pointed out that individual commodity groups are often forced to 'go it alone', or meet only when there
is a burning issue at hand. As a result, coalitions act or are often formed only to stop or combat policies of
other interests. Thus, the GGC will seek to provide sustained support and representation among its member organizations.
As a mandate, Muxlow stated, the focus of the GGC will be to develop a sector that is market-oriented and competitive,
to increase value-added processing and continue to stimulate innovations through research and development as well
as be sustainable and promote consumer confidence. Nine other grower organizations have joined the group in addition
to the OCPA, including the Ontario Soybean Growers, the Western Barley Growers’ Association, the Atlantic Grains
Council and the Fédération des producteurs de cultures commerciales du Québec. Originally
based in Calgary, the GGC is in the process of moving to Ottawa where it will join other farm organizations at
75 Albert Street. Muxlow indicated part of the group’s mandate is to be close to political developments in the
nation's capital.
“Often times, under a coalition-type environment, organizations come together under a burning issue -and as the
issue dies, so goes the interest of keeping the coalition formed," said Muxlow, indicating the need to have
common goals and principles. “So we thought it was important to have some clear sense of where we'd like to see
the organization go.”
At present, the group's policy direction has been set based on input from its member organizations and four other
grains and oilseeds groups from across the country. And farm income is its key issue. Muxlow called the WTO an
historic agreement, but one which provides too much ‘wiggle room’ where domestic farm support is concerned. In
fact, the U.S. and Canada had the smallest differential in farm income support prior to 1995, when the WTO was
signed. Muxlow's graphic depicting the gap between U.S. and Canadian income supports indicated a discrepancy of
$19 (U.S.) per tonne for corn, $37 per tonne for soybeans, $44 for barley and $67 per tonne for wheat.
"(The U.S.) is going through the Farm Bill process and the signal that I get from that is the U.S. is showing
no signs of turning back the subsidy clock, not at all," said Muxlow, adding that grains and oilseeds producers
south of the border are lobbying for an immediate $9 billion emergency payment. And they're hoping for the same
levels for 2002, along with additional top-up spending of $12.0 billion each year from 2003-11 and a re-balancing
of loan programs.
From a Canadian perspective, the GGC is pushing for a $2.0 billion short-term payment from the government, featuring
$1.2 billion federally and $800 million provincially. Muxlow called the March 1st announcement for combined federal
and provincial funding 'a positive step', but also noted it's $1.2 billion short of effectively levelling the playing
field between Canada and the U.S. He did acknowledge that it's the job of the government to carry out that task
and that WTO should continue monitoring such issues.
The GGC has also made recommendations for international trade, including providing a strong voice for trade liberalization,
in spite of EU attempts to slow the process and a 'no-go' approach by Japan. And the organization will support
the use of new technology that meets the standards for food, feed and the environment.
“The Grain Growers (of Canada) wants to position itself as a leader in finding solutions for our farmer constituents,”
concluded Muxlow.
