Former grain executive named to Canada wheat board

WINNIPEG, Manitoba, May 9 (Reuters) - The former chief financial officer of Canada's largest grain handler has been appointed to the Canadian Wheat Board's board of directors, Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz said on Friday.

David Carefoot was appointed to a three-year term as one of five government-named directors on the 15-member board of the CWB, which is one of the world's largest grain traders.

Carefoot was CFO of grain handler Viterra Inc (VT.TO: Quote, Profile, Research) until earlier this year, Viterra was created when Saskatchewan Wheat Pool took over Agricore United, where Carefoot had been CFO and held several other senior financial executive positions.

He replaces William Cheuk of Vancouver, who served a three-year term on the board.

Other government-appointed directors include a former senior executive of Saskatchewan Wheat Pool and a former director of Agricore United, along with a former provincial agriculture minister and the CWB's chief executive Ian White.

The Canadian Wheat Board, which had revenue of C$4.95 billion ($4.9 billion) last year, has a monopoly on wheat and barley sales from the Prairie provinces to millers, maltsters and export markets.

Canada's minority Conservative government wants to end the monopoly to give farmers the option of selling directly to buyers, but has been stalled by the CWB and its supporters.

The CWB's board is controlled by 10 elected farmers, eight of whom believe its monopoly gives farmers market clout. Director elections will be held later this year for five of the spots.

In March, Ritz introduced a bill in Parliament to end the barley monopoly by Aug. 1, but it has not yet been debated, and will need support from opposition parties to pass. ($1=$1.01 Canadian) (Reporting by Roberta Rampton; Editing by Peter Galloway)