Fertilizer maker Nutrien asks Canada to halt rail strike

Nutrien, the world’s biggest crop-nutrient producer, said it wants the Canadian government to stop a strike at one of the nation’s largest railways, because the disruption could potentially lead to smaller harvests.

About 3,000 workers at Canadian Pacific Railway Ltd. have voted in favor of going on strike March 16 if a collective bargaining agreement isn’t reached, according to their union. That would impact Nutrien Ltd.’s ability to move potash, nitrogen and other crop chemicals to retail locations across Canada just ahead of spring planting, the company said in an email.

Without such products, harvests could be reduced at a time when food prices are soaring. The fertilizer supply chain is still “reeling” from impacts of everything from Covid-19 to sanctions on Belarus and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Nutrien said. Crop nutrient prices are already at all-time highs amid concerns about shortfalls.

“The global food supply is already stretched and cannot afford further negative impacts at this time,” the company said in a statement. “We would be very disappointed to see a labor dispute have such a significant impact on global agricultural supply chains, and consequently, we would hope that the Canadian government will consider intervening to avert another transportation crisis.”