Wheat Duties

[agstar77]

Commerce department ordered to refund duties charged on Canadian Wheat imports from 2003 to 2006.

[bucket]

Spent 15 million to get 100 grand back. I know its the principal of the whole mess but why, if it benefits all industries are the western canadian farmers on the hook for the bill?

[agstar77]

Ask your M.P.

[Fransisco]

The only reason it happened in the first place was because of the monopoly. Not the wheat board, not because it was wheat, but because of the monopoly.

Tell your MP that.

[chuckChuck]

Francisco,
Ever heard of R calf? Do you know anything about the softwood lumber issue? How do you explain all the trade challenges that protectionist US politicians and industries have fostered over the years on a wide variety of products that had nothing to do with the CWB? Blaming the monopoly is politically convenient for you but lacks credibility. Wheat protectionism won't end if the CWB loses its' monopoly. In fact it could get alot worse if Canadian farmers try to fill northern tier elevators with Canadian grain.

[Fransisco]

You've got to be kidding? Can you name one other grain that has seen a trade challenge? Canola ? Oats? peas?

Give your fear-mongering a rest already, and actually think for a change. It's not that more wheat is going to go south it's that the price is going to come north.

Do you honestly believe that the grain companies up here are just going to shrug their shoulders and say oh well we can't get the wheat for $1.80 less than the world price so we may as well just give up?

They are going to compete chuckchuck.

And yes it's a $1.80 difference on winter wheat as of Friday's close.

[Fransisco]

And why do you think they keep going after the monopoly? If it actually raised the world price, if it actually was able to get better prices out of the market why would they keep going after it?

The reason is simple and it is clear. The CWB actually lowers the price of every market it gets into by underbidding everyone else. And the only reason they can do that is because of the monopoly. We have no choice but to give them our grain no matter what the price is.

[Fransisco]

BTW- How many trade challenges has the Ontario Wheat Board had to face?

If I recall correctly its a very round(0)number.

[GrainBeetle]

Franny: Your Oats, Peas and Canola example it isnt relevant. The US is a net importer of Oats and Canola - (Canola is a small niche market there). They are net exporters of wheat.

The amount of CDN Peas exported to the US is also to small start a trade challenge.

I would instead compare the politics of wheat to that of cattle, pigs and lumber - No CDN single desk on these products.

Franny, how has COOL affected YOU? I hope you don't expect CDN tax payers to pay for these trade challenges. That would be socialist.

[parsley]

Is feed barley relevant?