Update on fertilizer service standards

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency's (CFIA) Fertilizer Safety Section is currently experiencing delays to its published service standards for file review. The current delay is 2 weeks behind service standards (down from 12 weeks on March 16, 2023). This page will be updated monthly to inform you of processing times.

We appreciate the critical importance of meeting service standards and regret the impacts the delays have on your business operation. We are working diligently to provide more timely service.

What the CFIA is doing

  • We are closing incomplete and poor-quality applications to eliminate them from the queue
  • We have hired and trained more evaluators to reduce the backlog

What you can do

  • Use My CFIA to submit your application so it is faster to process
  • Avoid paper submissions
  • Ensure that your applications are complete and of high quality
  • Poor-quality applications delay processing times
  • Respond to the CFIA's requests for more information or clarifications completely by the date specified in your letter

Response times will continue to fluctuate due to:

  • the volume of applications received
  • the quality and complexity of applications
  • the timeliness and completeness of applicant's responses to the CFIA's requests for additional information

We apologize for the inconvenience and greatly appreciate your collaboration and understanding.

Contact us

Fertilizer Safety Section
Canadian Food Inspection Agency
Phone: 1-855-212-7695
Email: cfia.paso-bpdpm.acia@inspection.gc.ca