Agriculture committee  Just to be clear, the new technologies we're talking about are not simply composting. They are technologies that deactivate or otherwise take care of the prions. When we're talking about these new technologies we're investing in, it's not simply a composting technology by a diffe

Agriculture committee  I'll try to be brief. Like my colleagues, we have a number of programs that work with our provincial plants trying to introduce facilities approaches, processes for better meats, safety--kind of the HACCP approach for our plants. So we have a number of programs to work with the

Agriculture committee  I think if you're asking who's going to be in charge of the programs, when the announcements are made, the program's authority will be very clear. As I think Suzie has talked about, there will be a very clear delivery of the specific programming and the funding, and the applicati

Agriculture committee  I would just point out that we have some provincial funding targeted to provincial assistance. As has been noted, the thermal hydrolysis has accelerated from when we thought it would be available. That is part of what's happened over the last three years; the imminence of that te

Agriculture committee  It'll be up to these gentlemen to respond to the applications, but we're hoping to get those applications out PDQ.

Agriculture committee  You mentioned my minister's excitement about bioenergy. Certainly we have a bioenergy program that includes the development of biodigestion. We have a pilot project through the Alberta Research Council, which has a demonstration facility for an integrated manure management sys

Agriculture committee  On the issue of technology, about 36% of what we have to allocate will be going to technologies that, as Mr. Schellenberger has said, add value and create competition for the SRM to try to address the issue of creating value instead of cost to producers.

Agriculture committee  Thank you for the question and the comment. Certainly we understand the urgency on the part of industry to have clarity on the expectations and the funding provisions. That's one reason we need to get out an announcement as early as possible, to give some time. Certainly there

Agriculture committee  In terms of the agreement itself, it is simply, in my view, a matter of going through the steps for approval in our two governments, submitting the document, and having the decisions taken. I am not aware of anything outstanding in the document that needs to be changed, except t

Agriculture committee  Yes, I apologize. I did not submit the document in time for translation.

Agriculture committee  Yes, we believe we can meet the deadline. As we indicated, we have a program ready to go. Based on our most recent discussions today, we believe we're in a position to finalize, and the remaining step is really for ministers to sign. So we believe we're very close to signature.

Agriculture committee  I am. Thank you, Chair. Good afternoon. With me today is my colleague Gerald Hauer, assistant chief to the provincial veterinarian of Alberta. I believe, Mr. Chair, you are in receipt of a letter from my minister, the Honourable George Groeneveld. The letter outlines that altho