Yes, it's easy to prove, since Quebec veterinarians and the Financière agricole du Québec conducted surveys last year. On the premises of the farms themselves, 270,000 hogs died. They didn't make it to the slaughtering stage. In addition, an equal, if not greater number of hogs made it to slaughter, but their weight was much lower than it would have normally been, which resulted in a significant shortfall on the production side.
As I've already mentioned, the shortfall was greater than the 60,000 figure that was mentioned earlier. The lighter hogs were sold, in some cases, for half or a quarter of their normal value. In that respect, the CAIS program was deficient.
We know that approved pilot vaccines are now available. However, we don't know whether they'll have an effect on the herds. So we're asking the government to continue the use of Intervet vaccines, which have also been used as pilot vaccines. They aren't approved for the moment, but they work. We're asking the government to ensure that we can continue using Intervet vaccines until we know to what extent the new vaccines work.
We're also asking for investment in amber programs, as the countries we're competing with are doing. We're exporters; so it's important that our ground rules be the same as those of those countries.
We're also asking that part of the research programs conducted in agriculture focus on pork production and that research funding be allocated to it based on production size.
As Jean-Guy Vincent and Clare Schlegel said earlier, it's important that drugs be approved as quickly as in the other countries. Otherwise, we're not competitive; we're not enforcing the same ground rules as our competitors.
Lastly, we want to tell you that, if working committees were formed to assist the government in getting a clearer view, Quebec would be prepared to make a contribution and to provide information on production. That's what we know best. We'll also be available to attend meetings on the medium- and long-term future of production.
Whatever the case may be, what is essential today is that the cash go into the pockets of producers whose herds are affected by the disease and who have received no financial assistance from CAIS.