March 30, 2026
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) has updated the List of Primary Fertilizer and Supplement Materials, that is incorporated by reference into the Fertilizers Regulations. This list provides the terms, definitions and compositional criteria of primary fertilizer and supplement materials that are exempt from pre-market registration. With this update, some new materials don't need CFIA approval before being imported or sold in Canada and some products that used to need registration are now exempt.
Important: products exempt from registration are still regulated and must meet all applicable safety standards and labelling requirements to be imported or sold in Canada.
What's new
This is the first update since the list of materials was incorporated by reference into the Fertilizers Regulations in October 2020. The changes were submitted through the formal request process and prioritized by the List of Materials Steering Committee. These updates to the list have received support from the fertilizer sector. Products that are now exempt will see their registrations lapse at the end of their 5-year registration period.
The update includes:
- nine new materials
- seven amendments to existing definitions
- editorial revisions to improve clarity
New materials added
- alfalfa meal
- crustacean emulsion
- crustacean meal
- fish and crustacean emulsion
- fish and crustacean meal
- lignosulfonic acid
- potassium acetate
- seaweed meal
- sugar beet lime
Transition period
For a period of 5-years beyond the date on which the registrations of affected products lapse, those products, (and mixtures containing them) may continue to be sold with their existing labels, including labels showing an expired registration number. Products that have become exempt will remain registered until the end of their current registration cycle. After that, the registration will lapse automatically. No action is required from registrants.
What you need to do
Before the end of the transition period, companies must update labels to:
- remove expired CFIA registration numbers
and - add required exemption‑related statements, if applicable
Refer to section 3.1 of T-4-130 for more information on product identity labelling requirements.
Submitting future change requests
The CFIA accepts change requests year-round and plans to publish updates to the list regularly. Guidance on submitting change requests and required forms can be found at: T-4-133 – Requesting a change to the List of Primary Fertilizer and Supplement Materials.
Contact us
Fertilizer Safety Section
c/o Pre-market Application Submissions Office (PASO)
Canadian Food Inspection Agency
Phone: 1-855-212-7695
Email: cfia.paso-bpdpm.acia@inspection.gc.ca