Europe and the United States especially are investing much more than we are in research and development. Canada made the choice a few years ago to reduce investment in this area. A number of research centres and experimental farms were closed and the activities in other centres were significantly reduced. Clearly, there are long-term repercussions on the productivity of the companies, which depend on the research done in those places.
The research farms were strategically located. For example, in Kapuskasing, one farm was conducting research specifically focused on production in the north and on ways to improve productivity under those conditions. Other research was taking place more in the dairy sector. Those farms play an important role and their support has been greatly reduced.