Canada Rail-Strike Threat Latest Upset to Fertilizer Supply
- Workers at Canadian Pacific plan to strike if necessary
- Work stoppage may have ‘devastating’ impact on fertilizer
A Canadian Pacific Railway locomotive pulls a train in Calgary, Alberta, Canada.
Photographer: Alex Ramadan/BloombergThis article is for subscribers only.
A labor dispute at one of Canada’s largest railways is threatening to further disrupt global supplies of fertilizer just as farmers need key nutrients to plant spring crops.
About 3,000 workers at Canadian Pacific Railway Ltd. have voted for a plan to strike March 16, if necessary, according to their union. Canada, along with Russia and Belarus, is one of the main sources for the world’s potash, a commonly used fertilizer that contains potassium. A potential work stoppage comes amid concerns of shortfalls in supplies amid Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and sanctions on Belarus.