Repeal of Wheat Grade Amendments

Summary#

The final rule titled Regulations Repealing the Regulations Amending the Canada Grain Regulations: SOR/2023-173 removes earlier amendments that would have changed some wheat grading tolerances. The change was made by the Canadian Grain Commission and took effect on July 31, 2023 (published in the Canada Gazette on August 16, 2023).

What it does#

• Repeals the earlier instrument SOR/2023-159 that had adjusted certain primary grading tables in the Canada Grain Regulations.
• Keeps the set of tolerances listed in the regulation’s Appendix A instead of the aligned (export) values that had been introduced. The appendix lists tolerances for test weight and total foreign material for several western wheat classes.
• Affected grading tables are those for these wheat classes: Canada Western Red Spring (CWRS), Canada Western Red Winter (CWRW), Canada Western Extra Strong (CWES), Canada Western Soft White Spring (CWSWS), Canada Western Amber Durum (CWAD), Canada Prairie Spring Red (CPSR), Canada Prairie Spring White (CPSW), Canada Western Hard White Spring (CWHWS), and Canada Northern Hard Red (CNHR).
• Example tolerances retained in Appendix A (representative, not exhaustive):
  • CWRS Test Weight, No. 1: 75
  • CWRS Total Foreign Material, No. 1: 0.6
  • CWSWS Test Weight, No. 1: 76
  • CWHWS Test Weight, No. 1: 75
• The regulations state they come into force on the day they were made (July 31, 2023).

Who's affected#

• Grain producers in western Canada who grow the listed wheat classes.
• Grain buyers, handlers, elevators and exporters who use official grade standards to price and market wheat.
• The Western Standards Committee and others involved in setting and reviewing grain grades.
• It is unclear from the notice whether there will be measurable economic effects; the change restores previous tolerances rather than creating new ones.

Why it matters#

• Grain grades determine how wheat is classified and priced. Keeping the previous tolerances means the grading rules used for primary grades remain as they were, rather than being tightened or changed to match export tables.
• For farmers and buyers, that can affect whether a load meets a higher or lower grade and therefore its market value or where it can be sold.
• The move follows stakeholder feedback, especially from some producer groups who asked that the earlier alignment be reversed. The notice does not provide an analysis of costs or benefits, so the precise market impact is not detailed.