Agriculture committee  That is a very good question. A few years ago, the United States implemented that type of on-duty driver exemption on review of the situation. It is very important for the drivers and for society. In the wake of that exemption, there was no significant increase in the number of accidents among livestock haulers in the United States.

Agriculture committee  That is exactly it.

Agriculture committee  We do not want to be at the mercy of how an inspector might interpret the regulations. It is in our interest for this to be clear, including for the well being of the animals. Drivers need to know what to expect, instead of wondering where a rule applies or not. There needs to be a clear and universal rule in Canada so that everyone is on the same page.

Agriculture committee  We can do that, but what we want is for this to be clear. As Mr. Drouin was saying, transportation cannot be carried out any which way. We want to obey the rules. However, if there are unforeseen circumstances, let us find a way to say that a driver cannot stop just anywhere because, for the well being of the animal, the trucks need to keep moving for the ventilation to work.

Agriculture committee  Thank you for the question. There is no doubt that access to regional abattoirs could vastly improve the situation. Another direction was taken with the decision to close many of them. That is why the regulations need to be eased a bit to make it possible to reopen some of the regional abattoirs.

Agriculture committee  Thank you, Mr. Ross. Traceability is very important for producers and consumers because it helps maintain confidence in our products. We take pride in our productions, but traceability is very important. We are quite diligent about the traceability of the product all the way to the abattoir, but it could be even better.

Agriculture committee  Yes. These diseases are always frightening. So we have to have as many means as possible to try to counter them. I'm glad to hear about working with other countries. That's also very important.

Agriculture committee  Thank you for the question, but we think it's better not to make it mandatory. It takes information. People need to be aware of the biosecurity consequences and risks. That is what the associations representing each production are trying to communicate. I'm not sure we would get any better results by making it mandatory.

Agriculture committee  Yes, I agree with that. We say we need more resources, and that's part of it. Each organization has its own responsibilities, and the responsibility of the CFIA needs to be better known. This must be part of the general information to be given to producers, and even to the public.

Agriculture committee  Yes, data sharing is definitely necessary, but it would be important to invest in general research to determine the causes of diseases, how they break out, or the role of immigration. That would be a good thing.

Agriculture committee  We have been asking for this for a long time. These people are showing good will, and I think they want to do a good job. However, they need additional resources in terms of personnel, knowledge and training. They need training, among other things, on what to look for.

Agriculture committee  As I said, it's important. I have the figures. If ever there was an infection in the hog sector, and even if it was a wild boar, we would have to stop all exports overnight, under our trade agreements. That's billions of dollars of market share in 77 countries that would be affected by a shutdown.

Agriculture committee  Yes, it's important.

Agriculture committee  I agree.

Agriculture committee  I'm sure there's enough room for both.