The Competition Bureau has approved ProSoils Inc. as the buyer of Blair's Family of Companies' retail crop input facility in Lipton, Saskatchewan. This transaction closed on January 28, 2022. In July 2021, the Bureau, Blair's and Federated Co-operatives Limited (FCL) reached an agreement that required the companies to sell the Blair's Lipton facility, as well as two nearby anhydrous ammonia facilities, to resolve competition issues related to their proposed joint venture.
The Bureau concluded that the proposed joint venture would likely substantially lessen competition in the retailing of crop inputs (such as fertilizer, crop protection products and seeds). As a result, local growers were likely to face higher prices and lower service quality.
Selling the Lipton facility eliminates the competitive harm likely to result from the proposed transaction.
