Mr. John Cuddy:

I will briefly revert to a comment made earlier about the independence of the Agriculture Appeals Office. It is saddening to note that after 15 years in existence, that statutory body is still not sufficiently independent. In regard to notices of inspections, Senator Conway-Walsh referred to the notice period, which is set out in regulations. Again, it is disappointing that the Department, which is fully aware of these regulations, is still not applying them. I ask the committee to consider revisiting the reform of the Agriculture Appeals Act in a dedicated session at some point. There is a lot that needs to be discussed before we begin the reform process but we are essentially faced with an emergency given the number of farmers who have issues when it comes to appeals.