It's the perfect question: what do I need? I love to answer that one.
The progress we've made over the last several years has been substantial, and I would like to thank the federal government for that, because a lot of that wouldn't have been possible without the financial partnership we have with Swine Innovation Porc in Quebec City. That's funded jointly by producers and the federal government, and we're very much looking forward to seeing that funding level continue.
When we ask about what we need tomorrow, in my mind it is an easy ask. I mentioned in my presentation that the Canadian Pork Council has completed the public process to establish a promotion and research agency. This is essentially a no-cost ask to government. It will give us a check-off on pork that's being imported into the country. To be clear, all pork producers in Canada pay a check-off, and that check-off goes toward research to help us with environmental sustainability and also to promote the entire efficiency of our industry. What we're asking for is that imported pork be treated the same way, that there is the same check-off paid for any imported pork.
This is exactly the same as in the U.S. When I export live animals or pork to the U.S., I pay the national check-off in the United States. We're simply levelling that playing field. This is just an action we need the government to take. The process is in place. It's on the desk of government. We're simply asking the government to finish this, because that will provide us with an additional source of revenue to continue our research and take us to the next level.