<article><p class="lead">Industry advocacy group Fertilizer Canada yesterday urged the Canadian government to deem the fertilizer industry an essential service as efforts to contain the coronavirus bring further restrictions.</p><p>The organization argued a formal federal exemption is needed to ensure retail and manufacturing activity remains unimpeded during the spread of the coronavirus, referred to as Covid-19, despite local and federal officials recognizing the importance of the fertilizer and agriculture industries.</p><p>"The next two months are critical, both for the Canadian response to the Covid-19 pandemic but also to our farmer customers who are already beginning preparations for the spring planting season," Fertilizer Canada chief executive Garth Whyte said in the release.</p><p>Ontario and Quebec exempted large portions of the fertilizer supply chain from the provinces' increased restrictions, which will halt non-essential business operations beginning today.</p><p>Pressure on federal action from Fertilizer Canada comes a week after its US counterpart, The Fertilizer Institute (TFI), lobbied for exemptions for the domestic industry.</p><p>The US Department of Homeland Security last week <a href="http://www.argusmedia.com/en/news/2089014-dhs-designates-fertilizer-workers-as-essential?backToResults=true">designated</a> parts of the fertilizer industry as "essential critical infrastructure workers", allowing certain classes of workers to be excluded from movement restrictions intended to curb the spread of the coronavirus.</p><p>Whyte said a similar classification in Canada is paramount to maintain shipments across the northern border. No significant impacts to the Canadian fertilizer industry have been reported so far.</p><p class="bylines">By Jasmine Davis</p></article>
