Monopoly or Bust?

Thomas Hewson, vice-president of the Western Barley Growers Associations, raises some interesting questions to farmers who do not believe a voluntary CWB to be possible.

There is going to be increased pressure on any government to end the single-desk
marketing monopoly. The past government took the first step toward that by
agreeing to allow it on the table at World Trade Organization talks. Greater
farmer participation in value-chain relationships does not bode well for the
monopoly. A voluntary marketing agency may well have more life expectancy
than a single-desk CWB.

An excellent question. Would the die-hard supporters of the monopoly rather have a voluntary CWB, or no CWB at all? A lot of the same people who are fighting to maintain the monopoly fought to keep the Crow Rate subsidy. When the subsidy was eliminated in the early 'nineties, farmers received only a fraction of earlier, more generous, buy-out offers.

I believe that a voluntary CWB has an excellent chance at success, and is the best option for farmers in the designated area. Hopefully this vision comes to fruition before the CWB simply ceases to exist.