Let the record show....
This is exactly what we've been hearing in this committee in all the meetings we've had on this: that research is a very important part of agriculture and agriculture sustainability in Canada. It's something that we should take seriously. I hope the Liberal government will reconsider their decision when it comes to closing these research centres.
I'll address the rest of my comments to the Cattle Association, because this is something I'm very familiar with.
When we talk about business risk management, one of the biggest risks in a long time that I can see coming to the cattle industry is the potential Mercosur deal the government is working on now and its devastating potential effects on the Canadian cattle industry.
I'll open the floor to you to explain a bit more about why there is such fear out there in the cattle industry right now when it comes to this deal.