Madam Speaker, a number of things have happened on the overall BSE issue since October. In increased slaughter capacity, we have licensed a new federal plant in British Columbia and it is now in operation. We have had the first of the test kills in the Atlantic Canada plant, and we would expect that plant to come online.
The fed auctions have begun, and we see a recovery in the price for fed animals. The sign ups have begun on the feeder program. In fact, at the request of the government of Quebec on both of those programs, we have seen a willingness and flexibility to allow it to be delivered, using the Quebec instruments for delivering such projects. That has taken place as well.
We have also seen progress in our external markets. I mentioned the agreement that we signed in China. I mentioned the opening of the border in Hong Kong. These are all very positive things.
Over this past weekend we worked with producers and their representatives in Quebec and suggested a number of very specific solutions that could be employed. At this moment, we have been unable to get a consensus on exactly how to move forward on that, but we are making progress.
On one specific point, as the hon. member knows, some abattoirs are federally regulated and others are provincially regulated. The plant in North Bay, if it wants to deal with interprovincial trade, can apply to be a federally regulated plant. We will ensure that the CFIA will give it all due attention and effort so that it can be federally regulated. It needs to make an application for that and, we will work with it.