Alberta’s canola farmers are waking up to a harsh new reality Tuesday after China announced steep tariffs on the crop.

For canola farmer Ian Chitwood, the announcement that the country plans on imposing a provisional rate of 75.8 per cent on Canadian canola starting Thursday means a loss for farmers like himself.

“Effectively China is saying we don’t want Canadian canola anymore,” says Chitwood. “No Chinese company is going to pay 75 per cent to bring canola seed in.”

The tariffs come when the industry was already going through a tough time, where producers are dealing with slim margins as they gear up to sell.

“We spent the money, we can’t reduce costs anymore, so it’s going to hurt,” says Andre Harpe, the chair of Alberta Canola.

The move from China comes just months after the count

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