Thank you, gentlemen, for coming to Ottawa to speak to us today.
Dr. Freeman, I'd like to start with you. Over my three years on the agriculture committee, I have learned—and I think I'm correct—that food safety goes beyond the point where it starts at the processing plant up until the food gets into my mouth. What I learned is that food safety begins with how animals are treated on the farm and how they're transported, and their living conditions, to a certain degree. I'm wondering if you agree with that assessment, and if so whether you think that some undertaking should be made by the government to study the living conditions of animals, animal welfare and health, in a more meaningful way.
I ask that because I didn't see much attention given to the issue in Growing Forward 2 and the Saint Andrews Statement. While I asked for a study on this in the previous Parliament and we concurred on having one, we never got to it, simply because an election was called. I'm wondering if you think something more should be done in this area.