Mr. Chair, the member opposite sat on the same committee as I did in the heat of all of this BSE controversy. He is starting to talk as though testing is the answer, to say that there are countries just waiting to buy if we test these animals. I have had meetings with a lot of the ambassadors and the purchasers and so on from those countries. Unfortunately, none of them, not one of them, even Japan, is ready to sign on a purchase order if we test an animal.
My concern is that we can do it--and maybe that is part of the solution--but there is a cost of $30 a test for every animal or $200 a test if we take the expanded one. Increased freezer space is needed, as is an increase in CFIA inspection vets, who are poised to go on strike in a little while. We are already short-staffed with CFIA. They are overburdened now. Plus, we need lab space to do all the testing. How does the minister square all that when saying that testing is the answer when we physically do not have the infrastructure or the people to do it?