I want to thank the two of you for coming before the committee today.
I also want to thank USDA for the work they did on getting the border open for the animals under thirty months. I am a cattle producer. Mr. Miller and I were in Seattle to watch the appeal at the ninth circuit court and we appreciated the argument put forward by USDA. I wish they had been that prepared the first time when it showed up in Billings. We wouldn't have had all the heartache and hardship that we faced in Canada if USDA had been more prepared at the Billings court.
You were talking about the over-thirty-month cattle and about the risk assessment ongoing for the latest cow. We have OIE standards that both countries agreed to and are adhering to. When do you expect the assessment to be finalized on this last case? Realizing that we are in the middle of mid-term elections in the U.S., how soon after the election is wrapped up do you expect the rule to be presented for comment?