Judge rules on Canadian wheat marketing

A Canadian judge declined to block the Marketing Freedom for Grain Farmers Act that ends the Canadian Wheat Board's marketing monopoly. In a 29-page ruling Justice Shane Perlmutter of the Court of Queen's Bench said, "The plaintiffs have not demonstrated that suspending the New Act would provide a public benefit." The Winnipeg Free Press reported Saturday supporters of the Wheat Board said the legal battles would continue. "This is another one of those legal skirmishes but it only makes up a small part of the battle," said Saskatchewan farmer Stewart Wells, one of eight former Canadian Wheat Board directors who applied for the injunction. Perlmutter's ruling dismissed the argument that the Canadian Wheat Board Act stipulated a vote among farmers be taken to end the CWB's marketing monopoly. He also said it was not proved the Marketing Freedom for Grain Farmers Act would cause farmers irreparable harm. "He's suggesting that if you just remove one grain from the wheat board's jurisdiction that a (farmer) vote is required. But if all grains are removed a vote is not required. That doesn't make any sense at all," said Allen Oberg, former CWB chairman, who was displaced by the new law, as were the other farmer-elected directors, the newspaper said. He said the ruling was "extremely disappointing" and it was possible an appeal would be filed.