STAT Communications Ag Market News

Farmers Say They Are Ignored on CWB

WINNIPEG - Nov 8/06 - SNS -- Western Canadian grain producers believe their input is not being sought as the Canadian government and other organizations push ahead with efforts to dramatically alter the role of the Canadian Wheat Board, according to results of an Ipsos Reid poll conducted for Cereal Trends Watch.

The telephone poll of 600 farmers between October 10 and 17 found 58% believe governments and farm organizations do not have sufficient input from farmers in order to make an informed decision about the role of the Canadian Wheat Board (CWB). And when all things are considered, 72% say they support the CWB.

Pollsters say results are considered accurate to within ±4 percentage points, 19 times out of 20, of what they would have been had the entire Western Canadian wheat and/or barley grower population been polled. The margin of error will be larger within regions and for other sub-groupings of the survey population. These data were weighted to ensure the sample's regional and farm size compositions reflect the actual distribution of Western Canadian cereal growers reporting at least 160 acres seeded to wheat and/or barley on the 2001 Census of Agriculture.

Not surprisingly, only 45% of producers in Alberta say more consultation is needed; while 64% of Saskatchewan's farmers hold this view along with 62% of Manitoba growers. The poll found 51% of farmers with gross revenues over CDN $250,000 per year hold this vie, compared to 62% with sales under $250,000 per year.

Support for the CWB sits at 92%, with 52% saying they "strongly support" the CWB while 20% "somewhat support" it. On the other hand, 25% generally oppose the CWB, with 11% "somewhat" opposed and 14% "strongly" opposed.

Compared with 2004, attitudes toward the CWB have become further entrenched with an increase in those who either "strongly support" (52% versus 45% in 2004) or "strongly oppose" (14% versus 9% in 2004) the CWB. Opposition is strongest in Alberta and among farmers with sales over $250,000, with 23% and 21% strongly opposed.

Not surprisingly, 69% of CWB supporters say governments and other organizations do not have enough information from farmers to make an informed decision about the role of the Canadian Wheat Board, compared to 28% of those opposed to the existence of the CWB.

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