Fertilizer access is a food sovereignty issue

Ontario farmers are heading into the 2026 planting season under a cloud of uncertainty. Fertilizer is more expensive, harder to secure, and increasingly subject to global disruption. Recent reporting has linked the Gulf conflict and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz to major fertilizer market turmoil, including disruption to shipments of ammonia, sulphur, and urea. The Guardian reported that Qatar’s QAFCO, the world’s largest single-site urea exporter, has been offline for weeks, while benchmark Egyptian urea prices have jumped sharply. Roughly half of global food production depends on synthetic nitrogen fertilizer, which shows just how serious these disruptions can become.  

From the National Farmers Union–Ontario’s perspective, global headlines are only part of the story. Farmers have lived through repeated fertilizer price spikes for years. That is why many are asking a hard question: are current prices being driven only by real supply disruption, or are multinational fertilizer companies also exploiting uncertainty to push prices even higher? When markets are concentrated in the hands of a few powerful players, farmers have every reason to be skeptical.

This is not just a farm input story. It is a food sovereignty story. When fertilizer becomes unaffordable or unreliable, farmers face tighter margins, delayed applications, difficult crop decisions and, in some cases, lower yields. That risk lands first on farm families, but it does not stop there. It ripples through the food system and ultimately affects people across the country. A fragile fertilizer supply chain means a fragile food system.

That is why NFU and NFU-O are pushing for action. The NFU has already written to Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada demanding a clear analysis of fertilizer supplies, demand and prices in Canada, an explanation of fertilizer’s role in maintaining a reliable food supply, and a strategy to ensure timely and affordable fertilizer access for spring 2026 and beyond.  On April 1, NFU Local 306 President Don Ciparis met with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada to press for further action.

Farmers need transparency on inventories, domestic production, and imports. We need stronger public oversight, serious scrutiny of market concentration, and long-term solutions that reduce dependence on vulnerable global choke points. Fertilizer access cannot be left to corporate guesswork and geopolitical roulette. Ontario farmers need fairness, stability and a plan.

Visit www.nfuontario.ca to follow our work on fertilizer and these other critical issues facing Ontario farmers and farmland

Supporting farmers as they protect Ontario’s finite farmland

The City of Pickering is attempting a 4,356-acre urban expansion in Northeast Pickering. NFU-O sent two letters, calling for city council to vote no, citing the need to protect Ontario’s finite prime farmland. Local 345 President Adrian Stocking represented the NFU-O at a Special Council Meeting, where the decision was postponed. 

The Alto High Speed Rail Line threatens to expropriate farmland, impact farm operations, and more. NFU-O is opposed to the current Alto approach and called on federal and provincial decision-makers to pause, disclose, reassess, and redesign accordingly. NFU-O held a town hall, and leadership is actively consulting Alto staff and organizing an Alto working group to represent the interests of Ontario farmers. 

Recent development changes leave 9,300 acres of Pickering’s Transport Canada Lands up for debate. The NFU-O demanded that all of these lands be permanently protected as public farmland and integrated into an expanded Rouge National Urban Park. NFU-O held a town hall to mobilize members around public consultation and a letter writing campaign, and leadership consulted directly with Transport Canada.

In March, the government announced the merging of 36 existing conservation authorities into nine regional, watershed-based CAs. The NFU-O released a statement opposing this amalgamation, and leadership joined an Ontario Nature coalition, attending a news conference at Queen’s Park.

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National Farmers Union – Ontario

Are you impacted by fertilizer price spikes and shortages? Email office@nfuontario.ca and share your experiences with us.