Canada food plan puts fertilizer first

Canada’s new National Food Security Strategy makes fertilizer access, approvals and supply security a core part of federal efforts to lower food costs and cut exposure to global shocks. The plan, released on 11 June, commits to growing and processing more food domestically while directly targeting fertilizer import dependence and regulatory bottlenecks that affect input availability for farmers.

The strategy notes that Canada imported 35% of the CAD 9.8 billion ($7.2 billion) farmers spent on fertilizers in 2023 and warns that this reliance on overseas supply “increases Canada’s vulnerability to geopolitical conflicts, which can disrupt supply and increase domestic prices.” It highlights global risks such as the fact that a quarter of globally traded nitrogen used in fertilizer transits the Strait of Hormuz, alongside higher fuel costs that together account for more than half the cost of producing an acre of corn.

Regulatory changes for fertilizer and crop inputs

For the fertilizer industry, the most immediate changes are on regulation. Ottawa plans to amend the Canadian Food Inspection Agency Act and the Pest Control Products Act so that regulators must explicitly take food security and the cost of food into account, without compromising health and safety, when assessing new products. The government has pledged to “eliminate backlogs and speed up approvals for seed, feed, fertilizers, and veterinary biologics,” backed by CAD 11.3 million over four years, and has set targets to clear the Canadian Food Inspection Agency and Pesticides Regulatory Directorate backlogs by the end of 2026 and cut average approval times by at least one‑third.

The strategy also commits to working with “other trusted jurisdictions” to share science and evidence in order to support expedited registration of critical farm inputs, so that fertilizer technologies already approved abroad can reach Canadian farmers more quickly. It cites a recent co‑operation agreement with Australia on agricultural inputs and regulatory reviews as an example of this approach.

Fertilizer Canada’s response

In its response, Fertilizer Canada linked these measures directly to competitiveness. President and CEO Michael Bourque said the association “applauds Prime Minister Mark Carney and Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food Heath MacDonald on the recently released National Food Security Strategy and the recognition of the importance of the agriculture industry in Canada,” describing the plan as “a positive step in the right direction” and expressing hope that it marks “the beginning of an ambitious agenda for the sector.” He stressed that Canadian farmers “need timely access to the latest fertilizer products and innovations to remain competitive” and argued that, compared with other jurisdictions, Canada’s approval process “delays access to new technologies, placing our producers at a disadvantage.”

Bourque said Fertilizer Canada “welcome[s] the strategy’s focus on streamlining approvals and regulatory processes, reducing red tape, and eliminating Canadian Food Inspection Agency backlogs to help bring innovations to market more efficiently.” The association also backed the plan’s emphasis on supply security, stating that it “support[s] efforts to strengthen and diversify Canada’s fertilizer supply” and that “a strong domestic fertilizer industry is essential to food security, economic growth, and agricultural productivity.”

Signals for gas‑based nitrogen and investment

On the production side, the strategy signals fresh attention to gas‑based nitrogen capacity. Ottawa says it will “explore opportunities to better connect Atlantic Canada’s potential for natural gas resource development with evolving fertilizer supply needs,” with further discussion planned with industry and provincial partners to assess whether conditions exist for future development. This comes alongside policy recognition of concentration and competition concerns in markets including fertilizers, which were raised during public consultations on food system vulnerabilities.

For major producers represented by Fertilizer Canada – including nitrogen, phosphate and potash manufacturers and wholesalers – the combined package points to a shorter path for new product approvals, a stronger food‑security rationale for domestic investment, and increased policy scrutiny of how fertilizer supply chains manage import risk and capacity planning.