With the new federal cabinet being sworn in last week, the Western Canadian Wheat Growers Association (WCWGA) is launching a new “NoFarmCarbonTax” petition and website.

A letter has been sent to the Federal Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food as well as the Federal Minister of Environment and Climate Change to detail the financial burden that the carbon tax places on grain farmers.

“The federal government is adding a carbon tax onto virtually all the inputs that grain farmers need to grow our crops. In particular the cost of grain drying this fall has seen the carbon tax add as high as 30% or more,” said WCWGA President Gunter Jochum.

The NoFarmCarbonTax petition is found at www.NoFarmCarbonTax.com and also asks farmers to submit their energy bill and the carbon tax values in order to show the federal government how big an imposition this is.

“Grain farmers have been particularly hard hit this fall with the rain and snow. Grain drying has been crucial in order to save this year’s harvest and yet the federal government is adding a carbon tax and GST on top of our expenses. They are seriously impacting a fragile market,” said Director Daryl Fransoo.