Canadian Wheat
By : J. E. Dexter, K.R. Preston and N. Woodbeck
The vast majority of Canadian wheat is produced in western Canada
(Manitoba and provinces to the west). A large proportion of western Canadian
wheat is exported, and it is marketed in a highly regulated fashion. As soon as
western Canadian wheat is delivered by producers to a grain elevator the wheat
becomes the property of the Canadian Wheat Board, which is a single desk
seller for western Canadian wheat. Approval for registration into any of the
eight classes of wheat in western Canada is based on merit according to disease
resistance, agronomic performance and processing quality.
Wheat is also produced in eastern Canada, primarily in southern
Ontario. Eastern Canadian wheat is also registered on the basis of merit,
although processing quality models are not quite as strictly defined as for
western Canada. There is no single desk seller for eastern Canadian wheat,
which is marketed by private trading companies and the Ontario Wheat Producers
Marketing Board. Approximately 50% of eastern Canadian wheat disappears
domestically.
The Canadian Grain Commission (CGC), a Department within Agriculture
and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC), oversees quality assurance of Canadian grains,
oilseeds, pulses and special crops. The CGC is headquartered in Winnipeg,
Manitoba and has regional offices across Canada. The CGC derives its authority
from the Canada Grain Act, an Act of Parliament, enacted in 1912, and revised
most recently in 1995. Subject to the Canada Grain Act, the CGC "shall, in the
interests of grain producers, establish and maintain standards of quality for
Canadian grain and regulate grain handling in Canada, to ensure a dependable
commodity for domestic and export markets." The CGC quality assurance system
is in effect from the time producers deliver their crops until they are
received by the customer. In fulfilling its role, the CGC:
• acts as an unbiased regulator in the best interest of all elements
of the Canadian grain industry;
• licenses grain elevators, monitors their operations, and ensures
that facilities are in good operating condition and free of infestation;
• sets grade standards in consultation with the industry;
• supervises weighing of incoming grain at terminal elevators and
assigns a grade;
• supervises weighing during loading for export, and continuously
takes samples and grades the grain during loading;
• issues certificates that report the weight and grade of export
shipments;
• conducts scientific research in support of quality assurance and
grain marketing;
• monitors the quality and safety of Canadian wheat;
• provides technical assistance to marketers and customers, and
investigates if there is a disagreement concerning quantity or quality of a
shipment;
• participates in quality testing of wheat breeding lines and supports
wheat marketing programmes.
More information on the duties and responsibilities of the CGC can be
found on the CGC website at www.grainscanada.gc.ca
Overview of the Canadian Wheat
Quality Assurance System
An effective grain quality assurance system considers the best
interests of all segments of the industry, and must be flexible and responsive to
evolving industry needs. The Canadian wheat quality assurance system overseen
by the CGC is modelled on that basis, but there are fundamental principles that
remain constant. They include reliable supply, safety, cleanliness, uniformity
and consistency, and superior processing performance.
Canada supplies high quality wheat reliably year-to-year because on
average over 20 million metric tonnes (mio t) are produced annually in the vast
fertile plains of western Canada, and Canadian consumption of milling wheat is
only about 2.5 mio t. Dockage must be removed from Canadian wheat prior to export
according to standards set by the CGC. Dockage-free wheat is less dusty, and
requires less intense cleaning in preparation for milling. Removing dockage
also improves wheat storage stability, and may alleviate import restrictions associated
with noxious weed seeds. Removal of genetically modified impurities, such as
soybeans, canola and maize, is becoming increasingly important to millers as
more customers require assurance that milled products meet strict GMO content limits.
Insect infestation is rarely a problem with Canadian wheat because of
the harsh winter weather conditions in western Canada. The main form of storage
in western Canada is on-farm in steel silos. CGC entomologists and grain
sanitation officers work closely with the industry to minimize infestation in
grain handling facilities, and to ensure that problems are dealt with promptly
and effectively.
Consumers are demanding assurances of food safety more and more, and
in response, wheat importers are increasingly requesting safety statements of
assurance or safety certification for shipments. CGC research and monitoring programmes
provide in-depth knowledge of what toxic contaminants and constituents could
possibly be in Canadian grain (Nowicki, 1993). Depending on the request of each
customer, the CGC will issue a letter of assurance based on historical data, or
carry out analyses to certify levels of pesticide residues, mycotoxins, toxic
trace elements, radio nuclides and noxious weed seeds. CGC monitoring programmes have shown that Canadian grain is not only safe,
but meets the strictest Canadian and international tolerances for all potential
toxic contaminants.
Millers want uniformity and consistency in order to meet flour or
semolina specifications demanded by their customers. End-users want uniformity
and consistency to make products acceptable to consumers without continually changing
the processing conditions. Consistent quality from shipment to shipment of the
same class and grade of wheat, for which Canadian wheat is well known, is an obvious
asset. Of almost equal importance is uniformity within and between holds of a given
shipment.
The goal of the Canadian wheat quality assurance system is to allow
customers to select a class and grade of Canadian wheat that best meets their
requirements, with confidence that it will perform as expected. To accomplish
this goal for Canadian wheat:
• quality models for western Canadian wheat classes are carefully and
clearly defined;
• western Canadian wheat classes must be visually distinct from each
other to allow efficient segregation;
• CGC wheat grade standards have a scientific basis;
• the CGC protocol during loading of wheat export cargoes is designed
to maintain uniformity and consistency and to assure processing quality;
• post-shipment monitoring of end-use quality is conducted by the CGC;
• an ongoing dialogue is maintained with users of Canadian wheat.
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