When I finish, Mr. Chair, I might have a small amendment to that.
I just want to make the point that Canada has the safest food in the world. I did spend six years as a farm leader on the Canadian Grain Commission western grain standards committee, and I know the stringent requirements and standards that our Canadian grain industry has. They are tops in the world. Our companies all know what those are. The CFIA does excellent work in managing to make sure that every shipment that leaves our country meets those standards. The Canadian Grain Commission sets standards as well that are extremely stringent so that we do end up being recognized as the country in the world that provides the safest quality of food when it leaves this country for export and to help with other areas in the world as well.
I just want to say that we have been dealing with a number of other issues. The amount of trade was brought up. The Barton report has an $85-billion target by 2025. The canola industry is just a big, big part of it. I know that the companies have concerns with these non-compliance orders that have been coming back to CFIA. I understand that there have been 10 or 11 of them since December 1. It's a situation now where the companies are feeling that perhaps China might be a market of last resort if they don't end up coming to the table, so I would encourage the government....
We can get into that with officials, but I think an excellent case has been made to have the three ministers appear before us. It's certainly an agricultural and agri-food industry issue, because we've heard from our farmers that this is extremely concerning to them, not only because of what my colleague Mr. Hoback indicated in regard to the amount of closeness we're getting to spring seeding but also due to the amount of product that's still in the bins this year that will need to be marketed prior to the summer as well. That would have a devastating impact on many farmers who have already called me in regard to their land payments and operating budgets. It's a financial concern they have with the industry.
There is one other thing I want to say. The situation that we've seen already in trade, in terms of having the trade minister here, is exacerbated, I think, by the fact that unfortunately we do not have an ambassador to China at this particular time. For almost two months that has been the case. It would help, I think, if we had a chance to offer that to the ministers in regard to the replacement of an ambassador there, to show the sincerity and the concern we have in this industry. I know that the officials are doing the best job they can there with this, but we want to make sure that we continue to operate under these MOUs we've had and that they're not seen as just pieces of paper that can be discarded when someone wishes.
I want to leave it there by saying that that CFIA would be good to have here, and perhaps the Canadian Grain Commission as well, to talk about the standards. The CFIA could do that. Certainly James Richardson International would be willing to come and provide a short synopsis of exactly how this has impacted them and perhaps other grain companies as well. I know that our phytosanitary issues that we deal with are met stringently around the world and in the production of the daily markets we have.
With that, Mr. Chair, in closing, the original motion said that we'd like to have the witnesses appear no later than Friday, March 15, the Ides of March, and this is March 17. Could we amend that to an appropriate date, such as March 22 or 29 or...?