Thank you, Mr. Chair. I appreciate the question.
We developed the humane transport regulations based on the best available science and from an incredible amount of literature, information and evidence.
We determined that the feed, water and rest prescriptive times in regulation, as I mentioned, for older beef cattle would be 36 hours; for pigs, 28 hours; and for young ruminants, two hours. We based those times on information and science around animal health and welfare.
What we are saying with these regulations is that feed, water and rest must be given after that length of time. Transporters need to plan around that. There are some—arguably, not enough—infrastructure locations like The Barn where animals can be off-loaded and allowed to rest and reloaded and taken to their end location.
The industry needs to plan. You're correct. I think the livestock transport sector has one of the most complex planning and logistics for animals because of the multiple regulatory frameworks and the long distances that they need to take animals.
Those times and the ability to off-load and rest and reload are there for animal welfare, so we don't have nutritional deficits, exhausted animals, and so we have animals coming off the truck and going into our food system in good shape.