We've made a commitment over the last year or year and a half that every break week we will do a major trip offshore. We've done that.
Before we did that, we sat down with industry and correlated which countries and which market access would give us the most bang for our buck when we did these trips. We've dealt with the livestock sector--cattle and pork. We've dealt with sheep and goats. We've dealt with the grain sector, soy, and everybody.
They have identified certain markets where they see huge potential, and we've gone there first and had some good success. In other cases we have followed up. The Russian market has tremendous potential, but you have to court them as you do with the Chinese. The more we go, the more they expect to see us, the more they want to work with us. We're now starting to see countries like India, where there is tremendous potential for our pulse crops and canola and so on, coming back to Canada and asking where they can inspect what we're doing and how they start to do that and how they can mimic that.
There is concern at times that we sell our genetics and that somehow Russia is going to take over the dairy sector or they are going to take over the beef sector. But the genetics change constantly. We've also developed feed rations and housing infrastructures that go along with handling those genetically superior animals, which other countries have yet to mimic. We are not concerned about there being competition. We think that is good. However, we are getting more and more demand for Canadian product, whether it's still on the hoof or in the box. It's just amazing to be a part of that shift.
Our mantra is that it's marketplace, not mailbox. Farmers are starting to get their heads and minds around that. Government programs come and go. Government money does get clawed back at times, and agriculture ministers come and go. But if they can start to develop a solid marketplace, that can weather them through any type of change in government, and that's the end.
Having said that, Mr. Chair, I must excuse myself and rush off to cabinet.