Canadasa国际传媒檚 grain farmers say a strike at Metro Vancouver terminals would cripple crop exports if it were allowed to take place.

The Grain Growers of Canada say in a statement that it is sa国际传媒渄eeply concernedsa国际传媒� about a potential strike of grain workers in Metro Vancouver, since about 52 per cent of all Canadian-grown grain went to those terminals last year.

Grain farmers say a strike would sa国际传媒渉alt nearly 100,000 metric tonnessa国际传媒� of commodities arriving each day, potentially costing $35 million daily in lost exports.

The response comes after the union representing grain workers at terminals in Metro Vancouver said it has served their employer with a 72-hour strike notice.

The Grain Workers Union Local 333 says in a statement posted to Facebook that its strike will start at 7 a.m. Tuesday.

The Vancouver Terminal Elevators Association says affected operations include Viterrasa国际传媒檚 Cascadia and Pacific Terminals, Richardson International Terminal, Cargill Limited Terminal, G3 Terminal Vancouver and Alliance Grain Terminal, all located in Vancouver and North Vancouver.

sa国际传媒淕rain farmers in the prairies rely heavily on the Port of Vancouver to handle and export the majority of the grain they grow,sa国际传媒� the statement from the Grain Growers of Canada says. sa国际传媒淔ollowing last monthsa国际传媒檚 rail work stoppages, this strike will have an equally devastating impact on grain farmers across the prairies who are in the midst of harvest.sa国际传媒�

The group is also urging federal Labour Minister Steven MacKinnon to sa国际传媒渦se all tools availablesa国际传媒� to prevent a work stoppage from coming to pass.

sa国际传媒淲ithout intervention, Canadasa国际传媒檚 international trading reputation will continue to suffer, leading to the loss of key global markets and customers,sa国际传媒� the Grain Growerssa国际传媒� statement says.

Grain Workers Union Local 333 says the unionsa国际传媒檚 bargaining committee made the decision to issue a strike notice after the Vancouver Terminal Elevators Association sa国际传媒渋nvested very little effortsa国际传媒� during negotiations last week.

The union says itsa国际传媒檚 now up to the employer to present a proposal for a new contract, and workers have provided a sa国际传媒渃omprehensive packagesa国际传媒� last Thursday with the association indicating the next day it had no counter offer.

Itsa国际传媒檚 statement says the unionsa国际传媒檚 shop committees will advise members of their picketing duties before the start of the strike Tuesday morning.

sa国际传媒淵ou are required to leave the terminal at that time if you are working,sa国际传媒� the statement says to workers.

sa国际传媒淵our union will not bargain against itself,sa国际传媒� the grain workers statement says. sa国际传媒淲e will await their proposal if, and when, it comes, and respond accordingly.sa国际传媒�

A statement issued by the Vancouver Terminal Elevators Association says it concluded conciliation with the union with assistance from the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service on Aug. 26.

It says it could not come to an agreement on a new contract and the union has been in a legal strike position since last Tuesday.