Nutrien still plans to close the Rocanville potash mine for two weeks, despite the CN Rail strike coming to an end.

Nutrien announced the two week layoffs on Monday, blaming the strike for slowing the ability to transport product.

Spokesperson Will Tigley says the end of the strike is great news for farmers and the broader Canadian economy, but despite their best efforts to manage through, the strike created a significant backlog in the supply chain and resulted in lost export capacity that can’t be immediately recovered.

Tigley adds that the two week closure is needed to get inventories balanced.

The closure means 550 employees at the Rocanville site will be laid off for two weeks starting December 2nd.