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List of Primary Fertilizer and Supplement Materials

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The 3 year regulatory transition period (October 26, 2020 to October 26, 2023) has now ended. As a result, regulated parties, including all manufacturers, importers, distributors and sellers of fertilizers and supplements must adhere to the amended Fertilizers Regulations. There are few notable exceptions for some product categories. Learn more about the implementation of the amended Fertilizers Regulations.

This document is incorporated by reference into the Fertilizers Regulations. Any changes to this document must be made in accordance with the CFIA Incorporation by Reference Policy.

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Primary fertilizer materials
Terms Definitions
Acidulated bone (Specify grade) Ground bone or bone meal, treated with sulphuric acid (Os acidulé)
Ammoniated superphosphate (Specify grade) Salts of calcium phosphate and ammonium sulphate, obtained when superphosphate is treated with ammonia or with solutions that contain ammonia and other compounds of nitrogen (Superphosphate ammoniacal)
Ammonium nitrate or AN (Specify grade) Ammonium salt of nitric acid containing at least 33% nitrogen, ½ of which is in the ammonium form and ½ in the nitrate form (Nitrate d'ammonium ou NA)
Ammonium phosphatesulphate or APS (Specify grade) Double salts of ammonium phosphate and ammonium sulphate, obtained when a mixture of orthophosphoric acid and sulphuric acid is treated with ammonia, containing 16% to 20% nitrogen and at least 20% available phosphoric acid and 13% sulphate (Phosphate sulfate d'ammonium ou PSA)
Ammonium polyphosphate (Specify grade) Ammonium salt of superphosphoric acid, which is a mixture of orthophosphoric acid and polyphosphoric acid, containing 34 to 37.5% available phosphoric acid, and at least 10% nitrogen (Polyphosphate d'ammonium)
Ammonium sulphate or AS (Specify grade) Ammonium salt of sulphuric acid, containing at least 20% nitrogen (Sulfate d'ammonium ou AS)
Ammonium sulphate-nitrate (Specify grade) Double salt of ammonium sulphate and ammonium nitrate present in equal molecular proportions, containing at least 26% nitrogen, ¼ of which is in the nitrate form and ¾ in the ammonium form (Sulfate et nitrate d'ammonium)
Ammonium thiosulphate (Specify grade) Ammonium salt of thiosulphate, containing at least 12% nitrogen and 26% sulphur (Thiosulfate d'ammonium)
Anhydrous ammonia (Specify grade) Ammonia gas compressed to liquid form, containing at least 82% nitrogen (Ammoniac anhydre)
Aqua ammonia or ammonia liquor (Specify grade) Product consisting of ammonia and water, containing at least 20% nitrogen (Ammoniaque ou liqueur ammoniacale)
Basic slag (Specify grade) Calcium salt of silicophosphates, obtained in iron-smelting by treatment of the phosphorous melts, containing at least 12% total phosphate, of which 80% is in the form of available phosphoric acid, ground to a fineness whereby at least 80% passes through a 0.149 mm sieve (Scories de déphosphoration)
Blood and Bone meal (Specify grade) Blood and bone from birds or from any mammal except a member of the orders Rodentia, Cetacea, Pinnipedia and Sirenia, processed by wet or dry rendering with or without solvents, dried and ground, containing at least 6% nitrogen, 5% available phosphoric acid and 11% total phosphoric acid (Farine de sang et poudre d'os)
Blood meal (Specify grade) Collected blood of slaughtered birds or from any mammal except a member of the orders Rodentia, Cetacea, Pinnipedia and Sirenia, dried and ground, containing at least 12% nitrogen (Farine de sang)
Bone meal (Specify grade) Bones from birds or from any mammal except a member of the orders Rodentia, Cetacea, Pinnipedia and Sirenia, that are treated under live steam, dried and ground, containing 10 to 14% phosphorous and ground to a fineness whereby at least 40% passes through a 0.149 mm sieve (Poudre d'os ou farine d'os)
Calcined phosphate (Specify grade) Double salts of calcium phosphate and sodium phosphate, obtained by heat treatment of ground rock phosphate with sodium carbonate (or sodium phosphate) and silicic acid, containing at least 25% available phosphoric acid and ground to a fineness whereby at least 75% passes through a 0.149 mm sieve (Phosphate calciné)
Calcium ammonium nitrate decahydrate or calcium ammonium nitrate double salt (Specify grade) Double salt of calcium nitrate and ammonium nitrate, hydrated, obtained by treating ammonium nitrate with calcium carbonate or calcium magnesium nitrate, containing at least 19% calcium, 12% water and 15% nitrogen, where the proportion of ammonium nitrate is not greater than 10% (Nitrate d'ammonium et de calcium décahydrate ou nitrate d'ammonium et de calcium double sel)
Calcium ammonium nitrate or CAN (Specify grade) Double salt of calcium nitrate and ammonium nitrate, anhydrous, containing 4 to 9 % calcium, 0 to 2.5% magnesium and at least 26% nitrogen, where the ammonia and nitric nitrogen are present in equal ratios and the proportion of ammonium nitrate is at least 60% and not greater than 80% (Nitrate d'ammonium et de calcium ou NAC)
Calcium ammonium trinitrate (Specify grade) Double salt of calcium nitrate and ammonium nitrate, anhydrous, containing at least 15% calcium and 20% magnesium where ¼ of the nitrogen is in the ammonium form and ¾ in the nitrate form and the proportion of ammonium nitrate is no greater than 35% (Trinitrate d'ammonium et de calcium)
Calcium and magnesium nitrate (Specify grade) Double salt of calcium nitrate and magnesium nitrate, containing at least 13% nitrogen in the nitrate form (Nitrate de calcium et de magnésium)
Calcium carbonate Calcium salt of carbonic acid, hydrated or anhydrous, containing at least 32% calcium. When represented for the correction of soil alkalinity must have a calcium carbonate equivalent (neutralizing value) of at least 85% (Carbonate de calcium)
Calcium chloride Calcium salt of chloride, hydrate or anhydrous, containing at least 13% calcium (Chlorure de calcium)
Calcium nitrate or nitrate of lime (Specify grade) Calcium salt of nitric acid, hydrated or anhydrous, containing 12% to 17% nitrogen in the nitrate form (Nitrate de calcium ou nitrate de chaux)
Calcium sulphate Calcium salt of sulphuric acid, hydrated or anhydrous, containing at least 8% calcium and 14% sulphur (Sulfate de calcium)
Calcium thiosulfate Calcium salt of thiosulphate, containing at least 6% calcium and 10% sulphur (Thiosulfate de calcium)
Diammonium phosphate or DAP (Specify grade) Diammonium salt of phosphoric acid, containing at least 18% nitrogen and 46% total phosphoric acid (Phosphate de diammonium, phosphate diammoniaque ou DAP)
Dicalcium phosphate (Specify grade) Dicalcium salt of phosphoric acid, containing at least 38% total phosphoric acid (Phosphate bicalcique)
Dimethylenetriurea or DMTU (Specify grade) Product of the condensation product of two molecules of formaldehyde with three molecules of urea, containing at least 41% nitrogen, that is water soluble, and that is a source of slowly available nitrogen (Diméthylènetriurée ou DMTU)
Dipotassium phosphate (Specify grade) Dipotassium salt of phosphoric acid, obtained by reacting orthophosphoric acid with potassium hydroxide, potassium chloride or monopotassium sulphate, in the presence of either rock phosphate or dicalcium phosphate, containing 40% available phosphoric acid and 53% soluble potash (Phosphate dipotassique)
Elemental sulphur Sulphur in the elemental state, containing 90 to 99% sulphur, ground to a fineness whereby 100% must pass through a 1.00 mm sieve and at least 50% passes through a 0.149 mm sieve (Soufre élémentaire)
Enriched superphosphate (Specify grade) Double salt of calcium phosphate and calcium sulphate, obtained by reacting ground rock phosphate with sulphuric acid and orthophosphoric acid, containing 22 to 40% available phosphoric acid (Superphosphate enrichi)
Feather meal (Specify grade) Product consisting of feathers hydrolyzed with steam under high pressure, with or without a strong acid or enzymatically, containing 11% to 14% nitrogen and treated in a manner sufficient to mitigate the presence and effect of pathogens (Farine de plumes)
Fish emulsion (Specify grade) Whole and waste fish hydrolyzed using enzymes or live steam and stabilized with acid, containing at least 2% nitrogen (Émulsion de poisson)
Fish meal (Specify grade) Whole and waste fish hydrolyzed using enzymes or live steam and stabilized by drying, containing at least 2% nitrogen (Farine de poisson (solide))
Garbage tankage, Residential tankage or Biogenic waste (Specify grade) Household food waste materials rendered, dried, ground and screened (Déchets étuvés, déchets résidentiels ou déchets biogènes)
High-analysis superphosphate or anydrous superphosphate (Specify grade) Calcium salt of phosphoric acid, obtained by reacting ground rock phosphate with superphosphoric acid, containing at least 54% available phosphoric acid (Superphosphate concentré ou superphosphate anhydre)
Hoof and horn meal (Specify grade) Hoofs and horns from any mammal except a member of the orders Rodentia, Cetacea, Pinnipedia and Sirenia, dried and ground, containing at least 10% nitrogen and ground to a fineness (prior to optional granulation or pelletization) whereby at least 40% passes through a 0.149 mm sieve (Farine de sabot et de corne)
Isobutylidene diurea or I.B.D.U. (Specify grade) Product of the condensation of isobutyraldehyde and urea, containing at least 30% nitrogen of which at least 90% is in a water-insoluble form before grinding (Isobutylidène diurique ou I.B.D.U.)
Kainit (Specify grade) Mixture of potassium salt of sulphate and magnesium salt of chloride, mined, containing at least 12% soluble potash (Kaïnite)
Magnesium ammonium nitrate (Specify grade) Double salt of ammonium nitrate and magnesium obtained by reacting ammonium nitrate with magnesium compounds (dolomite, magnesium carbonate, or mangesium sulphate) containing at least 19% nitrogen, of which at least 6% is in nitrate form (Nitrate de magnésium et d'ammonium)
Magnesium ammonium sulphonitrate (Specify grade) Double salt of ammonium nitrate and magnesium sulphate, obtained by reacting ammonium nitrate, and one or both of magnesium sulphate and ammonium sulphate, containing at least 19% nitrogen of which at least 6% is in nitrate form (Sulfonitrate de magnésium et d'ammonium)
Magnesium chloride Magnesium salt of chloride, hydrated or anhydrous, containing at least 13% magnesium (Chlorure de magnésium)
Magnesium nitrate (Specify grade) Magnesium salt of nitric acid, hydrated or anhydrous, containing at least 10% nitrogen in the nitrate form (Nitrate de magnésium)
Magnesium sulphate Magnesium salt of sulphuric acid, hydrated or anhydrous, containing at least 9% magnesium and 13% sulphur (Sulfate de magnésium)
Manure or composted manure (Designated as to kind and specify grade) Excreta of birds or from any mammal except a member of the orders Rodentia, Cetacea, Pinnipedia and Sirenia, with or without litter, that has been subjected to physical, chemical or biological treatment, which may include composting, or a combination of these treatments sufficient to mitigate against the presence and effect of generally detrimental or seriously injurious substances that may be associated with untreated forms of this material, containing at least 51% manure and as much as 49% litter, such as straw, hay, grass, bark, wood chunks (such as branches and leaves), sawdust, wood chips or shavings and other plant residues, that have not been chemically treated (Fumier ou fumier composté)
Methylene urea (Specify grade) A mixture of methylenediurea and dimethylenetriurea, obtained by reacting urea with formaldehyde, that contains at least 41% nitrogen, and that is a source of slowly available nitrogen (Urée de méthylène)
Methylenediurea or MDU (Specify grade) Product of the condensation reaction of one molecule of formaldehyde with two molecules of urea, containing at least 42% nitrogen, that is water soluble and that is a source of slowly available nitrogen (Méthylène-diurée ou MDU)
Monoammonium phosphate or MAP (Specify grade) Monoammonium salt of phosphoric acid, obtained when orthophosphoric acid is treated with ammonia, containing at least 12% nitrogen and 48% available phosphoric acid (Phosphate de monoammonium ou MAP)
Monopotassium phosphate (Specify grade) Monopotassium salt of phosphoric acid, obtained by reacting orthophosphoric acid with potassium hydroxide, potassium chloride or monopotassium sulphate, in the presence of either rock phosphate or dicalcium phosphate, containing 52% available phosphoric acid and 34% soluble potash (Phosphate monopotassique)
Municipal biosolids (Specify grade) Solid, semi-solid or liquid material comprised of septage or municipal sewage sludge, or both, freed from grit and coarse solids, which have been subjected to physical, chemical or biological treatment, or a combination of these treatments, sufficient to mitigate against the presence and effect of generally detrimental or serious injurious substances that may be associated with untreated forms of this material (Biosolides municipaux)
Muriate of potassium or potassium chloride (Specify grade) Potassium salt of chloride, containing at least 48% soluble potash (Chlorure de potassium ou muriate de potassium)
Nitrate of potash or potassium nitrate (Specify grade) Potassium salt of nitric acid, containing at least 12% nitrogen and 44% soluble potash (Nitrate de potasse ou nitrate de potassium)
Nitrogen solutions (non-pressurized) (Specify grade) Non-pressurized solutions represented for topical application to soils or plants, consisting of ammonia, urea and ammonium nitrate, or a mixture of these, containing at least 20% nitrogen, of which the free ammonia gas content in the solution does not form a part of the guarantee or exceed 10,000 parts per million (Solutions azotées (non pressurisées))
Nitrogen solutions (pressurized) (Specify grade) Pressurized solutions represented for soil incorporation consisting of ammonia, urea and ammonium nitrate, or a mixture thereof, containing at least 20% nitrogen (Solutions azotées (pressurisées))
Orthophosphoric acid(Specify grade) Oxyacid of phosphorous (V) (H3PO4) (Acide orthophosphorique)
Potash manure salts or mine run potash salts (Specify grade) Mined mixture of chloride and sulphate salts of potassium, sodium and magnesium, containing at least 20% soluble potash (Sels bruts de potasse ou minerai brut de sels de potasse)
Potassium hydroxide (Specify grade) Potassium salt of hydroxide, containing at least 66% soluble potash (Hydroxyde de potassium)
Potassium polyphosphate (Specify grade) Potassium salt of superphosphoric acid (Polyphosphate de potassium)
Potassium thiosulfate (Specify grade) Potassium salt of thiosulphate, containing at least 21% soluble potash (thiosulfate de potassium)
Precipitated phosphate (Specify grade) Dicalcium salt of phosphate, obtained by neutralizing the acid solution of either rock phosphate or processed bone with calcium hydroxide (Phosphate précipité)
Rock phosphate (Specify grade) Mined phosphates salts, containing at least 25% total phosphoric acid, ground to a fineness whereby at least 80% passes through a 0.149 mm sieve (Phosphate minéral)
Seed meal (Specify grade and designate as to kind) Seed residue of one or more of soybean, alfalfa, cotton, canola, rape, mustard, and lupine seed, dried and ground, that have been subjected to treatment sufficient to mitigate against the presence and effect of pathogens, containing at least 6% nitrogen, and ground to a fineness (prior to optional granulation or pelletization) whereby at least 40% passes through a 0.149 mm sieve (Farine de graines)
Single superphosphate, ordinary superphosphate, normal superphosphate or super 20 (Specify grade) Salt of calcium phosphate and calcium sulphate, obtained by reacting ground rock phosphate with sulphuric acid, containing 16 to 22% available phosphoric acid (Superphosphate simple, superphosphate ordinaire, superphosphate normal, ou super 20)
Sodium and potassium nitrate or nitrate of soda and potash (Specify grade) Sodium and potassium salts of nitric acid, containing at least 15% nitrogen and 10% potash (Nitrate de sodium et de potassium ou nitrate de soude et de potasse)
Sodium nitrate or nitrate of soda (Specify grade) Sodium salt of nitric acid, containing at least 16% nitrogen (Nitrate de sodium ou nitrate de soude)
Struvite or magnesium ammonium phosphate Magnesium and ammonium salts of phosphoric acid, hydrated, that contains at least 10% magnesium, 5% nitrogen and 12% total phosphoric acid and that is source of slow released nitrogen and magnesium, and readily available soluble phosphorous (Struvite ou phosphate d'ammonium et de magnésium)
Sulphate of potash or potassium sulphate (Specify grade) Potassium salt of sulphuric acid, containing at least 48% soluble potash and no greater than 2.5% chlorine (Sulfate de potasse ou sulfate de potassium)
Sulphate of potash-magnesia; potassium-magnesium sulphate; double-sulphate of potash and magnesia; double sulphate of potassium and magnesium; or langbeinite (Specify grade) Potassium and magnesium salts of sulphuric acid, containing at least 20% soluble potash and 25% sulphate of magnesium and no greater than 2.5% chlorine (Sulfate de potasse et demagnésie; sulfate de potassium-magnésium; sulfate double de potasse et de magnésie, sulfate double de potassium et de magnésium; ou langbéinite)
Sulphur coated urea or SCU (Specify grade) Urea particles coated with sulphur, which may be further coated with a sealant (2 to 3% of total weight), containing 30 to 45% nitrogen and 5 to 30% sulphur and being a source of slowly available nitrogen (Urée enrobée de soufre)
Superphosphoric acid or SPA (Specify grade) Mixture of orthophosphoric and polyphosphoric acid, containing 68 to 83% available phosphoric acid (Acide superphosphorique ou ASP)
Tankage or animal tankage (Specify grade) Animal tissue and residue rendered, dried and ground (Résidus d'équarrissage ou déchets d'animaux)
Triazone (Specify grade) Product obtained by reacting urea, formaldehyde and ammonia, containing at least 41% nitrogen and being water soluble (Triazone)
Triple superphosphate or triple (Specify grade) Calcium salts of phosphoric acid and sulphuric acid, obtained by reacting ground rock phosphate with sulphuric acid, containing 44 to 53% available phosphoric acid (Superphosphate triple ou triple)
Tripotassium phosphate (Specify grade) Tripotassium salt of phosphate, obtained by reacting orthophosphoric acid with potassium hydroxide, potassium chloride or monopotassium sulphate, in the presence of either rock phosphate or dicalcium phosphate, and containing 33% available phosphoric acid and 65% soluble potash (Phosphate tripotassique)
Urea (Specify grade) Synthetic acid amide of carbonic acid, containing at least 45% nitrogen and a biuret content not exceeding 1.2% (Urée)
Urea phosphate or carbamide phosphoric acid (Specify grade) Urea salt of phosphoric acid, obtained by neutralizing orthophosphoric acid with urea, containing at least 17% nitrogen and 43% total phosphoric acid (Phosphate d'urée ou acide urée-phosphorique)
Urea-ammonium nitrate or UAN (Specify grade) Urea and ammonium nitrate solution, containing at least 28% nitrogen (Solutions de nitrate d'ammonium et d'urée ou UAN)
Urea-ammonium sulphate (Specify grade) Urea and ammonium sulphate solution, containing at least 30% nitrogen of which at least 4% is in ammoniacal form and a biuret content not exceeding 0.9% (Sulfate d'urée et-d'ammonium)
Urea-formaldehyde or urea-form (Specify grade) Urea formaldehyde polymer, obtained by reacting urea and formaldehyde, containing not more than 35% nitrogen of which 60% is in a water-insoluble form and testing not less than 40% active by the nitrogen activity index for urea-formaldehyde compounds and having a ureic nitrogen content not exceeding 5% (Urée-formaldéhyde ou urée-formol)
Urea-triazone solution (Specify grade) Solution obtained by reacting aqueous urea, formaldehyde, and ammonia, containing at least 25% nitrogen of which 5 to 40% is unreacted urea and at least 40% is triazone, with the remaining nitrogen being derived from dissolved reaction products of the above reactants, and that is a source of slowly available nitrogen (Solution urée-triazone)
Primary supplement materials
Terms Definitions
Ash (designated as to kind) Non-combustible alkaline residue remaining after the combustion solely of crop residue, wood or any combination thereof, that have not been transported in salt water or subjected to chemical treatment outside of acidification, and having a calcium carbonate equivalent (neutralizing value) ranging from 40 to 80% (Cendre)
Air-slaked lime Calcium salt of hydroxide and carbonate, obtained by exposing quicklime to air, which has a calcium carbonate equivalent (neutralizing value) of at least 95% (Chaux éteinte à sec)
Aluminum sulphate Aluminum salt of sulphuric acid, hydrated or anhydrous, that has a calcium carbonate equivalent (neutralizing value) of at least 114% (Sulfate d'aluminium)
Basalt Low silica, fine grained, igneous rock comprised primarily of plagioclase feldspar and pyroxene that has been mined, crushed and finely ground (Basalte)
Biochar (designated as to kind, ash content, and carbon content) Pyrolysis product solely composed of crop residue, wood, or any combination thereof, which have not been transported in salt water or subjected to chemical treatment outside of acidification, of at least 60% carbon (Biocharbon)
Calcitic limestone or calcite Calcium salt of carbonate acid, anhydrous, that has a calcium carbonate equivalent (neutralizing value) of at least 85% (Calcaire calcitique)
Coir or coconut coir Coir fibre, pith, or both, extracted from the coconut husk (Coir ou fibre de coco)
Compost (designated as to kind) Solid mature product resulting from composting (a managed bio-oxidation process that includes a thermophilic phase) of a solid heterogeneous organic substrate (Compost)
Dolomitic limestone or dolomite Calcium and magnesium salts of carbonate acid, mined and ground, that has a calcium carbonate equivalent (neutralizing value) of at least 85% (Calcaire dolomitique)
Fulvic acid The extracted portion of humic substances that are soluble in both alkali and acid aqueous solutions (Acide fulvique)
Gypsum or landplaster Calcium salt of sulphuric acid, hydrated, containing at least 16% calcium and 13% sulphur (Gypse, plâtre agricole)
Humic acid The portion of the alkali extracted humic substances that are insoluble in strongly acidic solution. They will precipitate from the alkali extract in acid solutions of pH 2 or less. (Acide humique)
Humic substances Constituents of soil organic matter and the aquatic environment, consisting of complex heterogeneous mixtures of carbon based substances formed by biochemical reactions during the decay and transformation of plant and microbial remains. They are primarily composed of three main fractions: humic acids, fulvic acids, and humin; which are operationally defined by their differential solubility in dilute alkali and acid solutions. Humic substances can be derived from terrestrial deposits of Leonardite, oxidized lignite, oxidized sub-bituminous coals, humalite, carbonaceous shales, peat, and sapropel. (Substances humiques)
Humus (specify organic matter and moisture content) Homogeneous and friable mixture of biochemically stable partially decomposed organic matter (Humus)
Magnesium hydroxide Magnesium salt of hydroxide, that has a calcium carbonate equivalent (neutralizing value) of at least 160% (Hydroxyde de magnésium)
Magnesium oxide Magnesium salt of oxide, that has a calcium carbonate equivalent (neutralizing value) of at least 235% (Oxide de magnésium)
Peat, peat moss, or sphagnum moss Non-viable, partially decomposed organic residues of plants, primarily mosses, accumulated under anaerobic, acidic conditions in water (Tourbe, mousse de tourbe, ou tourbe de sphaigne)
Perlite Volcanic glass, mined, ground and heated to cause expansion (Perlite)
Pozzolan or diatomaceous earth Siliceous or siliceous aluminous, comprised of layers of diatoms and volcanic tuffs, mined, ground and heated (Pouzzolane ou terre de diatomées)
Quicklime, burnt lime, or caustic lime Calcium salt of oxide, anhydrous, obtained by burning calcitic limestone to remove the carbon dioxide, and that has a calcium carbonate equivalent (neutralizing value) of at least 95% (Chaux vive, chaux anhydre, ou chaux caustique)
Slaked lime Calcium salt of hydroxide, anhydrous, obtained by adding water to quicklime, and that has a calcium carbonate equivalent (neutralizing value) of at least 95% (Chaux éteinte)
Spent mushroom media (specify organic matter and moisture content) Used growing media, obtained from commercial mushroom production, treated in a manner sufficient to mitigate the presence and effect of pathogens (Résidus de substrat de champignonnière)
Tree bark (specify organic matter) Outer layer of a woody trunk or branch (cambium), fragmented, broken, or shredded (Écorce d'arbre)
Vermiculite Magnesium-aluminum-iron silicate (magnesium mica), mined, ground and heated to cause expansion. Exfoliate vermiculite weighs from 0.12 to 0.38 kg/L (Vermiculite)
Zeolite Clinoptilolite, aluminosilicates of sodium, potassium, calcium and barium, mined, ground and dehydrated, excluding erionite (Zéolithe)
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