Thank you, Mr. Chair.
This question is for either Mr. Masswohl or Mr. Laycraft.
I come from a community in which there is a large meat processing plant--Cargill. This plant provides a lot of jobs to the people in Guelph.
I understand the government is taking the need for an increase in slaughterhouse capacity quite seriously, to the extent that they have proposed to invest another $50 million in the next three years to increase slaughterhouse capacity in various parts of the country.
This is the fourth program that has been implemented to increase slaughterhouse capacity since 2004. Yet there are media reports that suggest that some small slaughterhouses that receive government assistance actually had to shut down following the BSE crisis when the borders were reopened.
Could either of you enlighten us a little more and give us your opinion about slaughterhouse capacity and whether these strategies to increase capacity have been successful thus far?