The Western Canadian Wheat Growers Association is continuing to call on the Canadian Grain Commission (CGC) to reduce, and refund, user fees charged to farmers marketing their grain.

The CGC collects $1.80 per tonne on all grain delivered to fund its operations for inspecting and weighing grain for export.

Wheat Growers Executive Director Robin Speer says the Commission gathered a large surplus on these fees that should go back to producers.

“They created the $1.80 number based on lower yields in harvests of the past, whereas in the past few years we've had significantly larger harvests. What that means is that they've collected these user fees and now they have this mountain of money, over $100 million.”

Speer adds, incredibly, the user fees are actually expected to increase this year despite a surplus that covers over two years of the CGC operating budget.

He encourages farmers to take part in an online petition on the issue at userfees.wheatgrowers.ca.