Grain Growers of Canada are calling for the federal government to extend the provisions in bill C-30 the Fair Rail for Grain Farmers Act that mandate the timely transportation of grain.

The organization wants to ensure the legislation remains in place for the new crop year so that progress does not expire with the sunset date of Aug 1, 2017.President Jeff Nielsen says grain farmers have seen the positive impact of the emergency measures put in place in 2014.

He’s calling on Transportation Minister Marc Garneau to extend the provisions, particularly those related to interswitching, until the Transportation 2030 legislation is enacted.

The Grain Growers say it is imperative that prairie grain farmers and the entire value chain know they can rely on a consistent rail system to get their grain to port.

The grain industry has long been calling for a level playing field between railways and shippers and done properly, the new legislation could do just that.

They point to the recent Barton Report from the Advisory Council on Economic Growth as well as the 2017 Federal Budget which calls for a dramatic increase in agriculture and agri-food exports to harness agriculture’s potential as a key growth sector.

Something they say cannot be achieved unless the government puts a focus on getting high-quality grain to market quickly and reliably.