Grain farmers have a larger window in which to ask the Canadian Grain Commission (CGC) for a second opinion if they want to dispute the grade they get at the elevator.
The commission announced Oct. 3 that producers will have a week past their delivery date to ask that a sample be submitted to the CGC for a final quality determination.
Why it matters: Proposed changes to the Canada Grain Act and the Canadian Grain Commission have been in the midst of a federal review for several years.
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“The Canadian Grain Commission has implemented these changes to the Canada Grain Regulations to support fair transactions in the Canadian grain sector,” said a statement from the commission. “These regulatory updates have been made to reflect and keep pace with the current operational realities of grain handling and delivery in Canada.”
The commission said the changes will add more flexibility to the system, such as allowing a farmer to request a final quality determination without having to be physically present when the grain is delivered.
The same changes will more clearly lay out agreed sampling practices, such as who keeps the samples, where and for how long, the Oct. 3 statement read.
“We are very pleased to implement these enhancements,” said CGC chief commissioner Doug Chorney. He said the move “reflects the realities of today’s grain sector and responds to feedback received during the Canada Grain Act review.”
The federal government launched consultations on the Act and the CGC in early 2021. The CGC’s later efforts to gauge farmer opinions on grain grading disputes, which took place from Dec. 13, 2021 to Feb. 28, got 13 submissions, the commission said.
Of those, the CGC-proposed seven-day window for a resolution request (previously earmarked as “Subject to Inspector’s Grade and Dockage”) was the most common suggestion. Six of the 13 submissions supported such a change, with suggestions ranging from five business days (which would eliminate some issues around holidays), three business days, or a longer window than the CGC suggestion to allow “enough time to see how other elevators are grading and discussions between neighbours to happen.”
