Last October a Russian freighter carrying about 10,000 mt of ammonium nitrate was in the news when it docked at Churchill, Manitoba, just before Arctic ice closed the shipping lanes (GM Oct. 22, 2007). Now that same shipment is back in the news as the center of a controversy between farmers and retailers over who is better suited to secure the fertilizer from getting into the wrong hands.
The Canadian Association of Agri-Retailers (CAAR) insists its members are better equipped than the farmers who are storing a lot more N-based fertilizer in bulk without having to take the responsibility. “This isn’t an attempt to restrict their access,” CAAR Executive Director David MacKay told Green Markets. “We want to eliminate the vulnerabilities and make sure the infrastructure is in place to secure these products properly.”
But the Farmers of North America (FNA), representing 8,000 growers throughout Canada, sees it differently. FNA brought in the product and at the time identified it as a “nitrogen-blend.” “It’s disappointing when you try to get organized with some sort of advantage and the retail trade steps in with something that takes that away,” complained FNA Chief Operating Officer Jason Mann. “It’s just that we found a better value with ammonium nitrate than buying urea. It’s not a security issue, it’s really about control and distribution.” Mann said he doubted the dealers can handle the fertilizer any better than the farmers. In fact, he added, “we’ve already delivered most of it to the farmers and it’s already in the ground.”
Apparently that’s not the end of the matter because MacKay said he expects FNA to be importing a lot more and Mann confirmed that the alliance has its eye on more sources but no firm arrangements as yet and not necessarily from Russia.
MacKay said CAAR welcomes the debate and hopes there will be a solution before an incident occurs. “Our retailers don’t necessarily have (the required) security in place now because the regulations are just coming into play,” he explained. He said the new rules have been formulated for implementation fairly soon, covering anyone except growers who import, handle or distribute N-based fertilizer with explosive potential. In MacKay’s view “retailers would be required to invest substantially while growers don’t have to worry about this. So we would have to level the playing field by assisting retailers in shoring up their storage.”