You're going to be able to test my French when I start talking about protein content.
First of all, we are not against the Import for Re-export Program that is now in place. We do, however, have some major concerns about it, in the way that it is applied and in the possibility that white meat may remain in the Canadian market, whereas something else is exported in order to meet the requirements of this program.
This problem pertains in particular to spent poultry, namely layers that have gone beyond their laying days and are now to be used for something else. We are concerned that the processors may be importing a high-quality product and replacing it with a non-quota product. There is no quota for spent poultry. There is perhaps some way to resolve this issue. That is what is concerning us.
Last year, as far as these two programs were concerned, one program pertaining to turkey and the other for chicken, and because of the drop in the American market, the turkey program fell by 47%. At the same time, even with a 9% reduction in US production, the Import for Re-export Program increased by 11% over the last year. Given the market conditions, this does not make sense.
We are therefore monitoring the situation very closely. I know that the Department of Foreign Affairs has done some follow-up, but I am not sure that it has the capacity to conduct evaluations in the slaughterhouses to know exactly which chickens are broilers and which are spent chickens.
With respect to protein, there is a way to assess it. Generally speaking, chicken contains 23% protein. If other things are added, such as soya protein or something else, the protein content in the chicken is lowered. So if we test a chicken and find that it has a protein content of 12%, that means that 50% of the proteins come from other ingredients that have been added to it. This is deemed to be a chicken suitable for export and meets the requirements of the Import for Re-export Program.
I hope that I have been clear.