You're very much correct. The produce industry is unique because you can't put a lien on something that's been eaten or thrown out. It's very clear.
On that subject—this is just a statement, not a criticism—it really is incumbent on all the sellers of fruits and vegetables to do their due diligence to make sure they know who they're selling to, what their history of payment is, and so forth. There are many avenues within the produce industry that help them with that.
One of the challenges is when some business is solvent and they're not paying. The government itself doesn't guarantee that they get payed, but there are mechanisms. For example, right now, under the licensing and arbitration regulations or the Fruit and Vegetable Dispute Resolution Corporation, there are mechanisms that allow informal arbitration in complaint solving to determine what the problem was, whether it was a quality problem, whether the product arrived, all of those types of things that you might look at.
Often, you'll have an arbitration that will end up with a reduced sum. If it was x, you're going to get x minus two for the payment. Often though, that starts a record against the person you sold the product to. If I'm the person who has been buying product and hasn't been paying the people who have been selling to me, I will get a record and a reputation slowly. That is reported on and it is very useful because it should help you make your business decisions about how you want to sell to them and how you want to get paid.
Often in the produce industry, you're helping the person behind you, not yourself. You'll be helping the person who is going to find out that Mr. Gorrell didn't pay on time and that they have to be careful with him. There are not a lot of mechanisms, except through the complaints process. Informal arbitration, arbitration through the DRC, and the licensing and arbitration regulations are the mechanisms that we use in Canada right now, but we can never guarantee payment.