Canada's canola industry is urging Ottawa to act as farmers brace for steep losses over a planned 75.8 per cent preliminary tariff from China on canola seed.

"The Chinese market is effectively closed to the Canadian canola industry, and this is a market that was valued at just under $5 billion," Chris Davison, president of the Canola Council of Canada, said after the tariff announcement Tuesday.

"The absence of that demand signal (from China) can be expected to have significant impacts for the industry moving forward."

China said the measure would start Thursday, nearly a year after Beijing launched an anti-dumping probe into Canadian canola. The investigation is in response to Canada's 100 per cent tariff on Chinese electric vehicles.

Ottawa has said China has until September, when it

See Full Page