REGINA — The Agricultural Producers Association of Saskatchewan (APAS) is expressing concerns about contract uncertainty arising from the Canadian Grain Commission's (CGC) decision to harmonize primary and test weight standards for wheat classes, starting Aug. 1, 2023.
On June 13, the CGC announced that primary grades for most wheat classes will now be graded against the higher export standards for test weight effective Aug. 1. On July 17, APAS and the Saskatchewan Wheat Development Commission issued a joint statement requesting a reversal of the decision until an economic assessment is completed, noting that producers could face quality downgrades as a result of the higher standards.
“Since issuing the release last week, APAS has been hearing from producers who signed sales contracts for 2023 production and are wondering if these contracts will now be assessed against the higher export standards if these changes go ahead as planned,” APAS president Ian Boxall said. “We’d like grain buyers to honour the quality specifications that were agreed to when the contracts were signed.”
Boxall further noted that APAS continues to advocate for the reversal of the decision to harmonize primary and export test weight standards until an economic assessment is presented.
“This issue with contracts is exactly the kind of issue that should be addressed in the economic assessment that we’ve asked for,” Boxall added. “In the meantime, we are requesting grain buyers to honour the grading standards in place at the time contracts were signed. The CGC has not publicly released any data or clear policy rationale for these changes and how they will affect farmers, and we do not believe that grain buyers should be assessing grain against the higher test weight standards until this economic assessment is completed.”
