Also, with the acquisition of Ruralco and the integration of the Australian Retail operations, the internal control over the Australian Retail operations will come into scope of the Company’s internal control over financial reporting for the fourth quarter of 2020. The acquisition of Ruralco was previously excluded from management’s evaluation of the effectiveness of the Company’s internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2019 due to the proximity of the acquisition to year-end. The integration of the Australian Retail operations is expected to materially affect our internal control over financial reporting.
COVID-19 has also affected our business. During the quarter, corporate office staff and many site administrative staff have worked from home. This change has required certain processes and controls that were previously done or documented manually to be completed and retained in electronic form. This change has not materially affected our internal control over financial reporting.
Except as discussed herein, there have been no changes that have materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal control over financial reporting.
Forward-Looking Statements
Certain statements and other information included and incorporated by reference in this document constitute “forward-looking information” or “forward-looking statements” (collectively, “forward-looking statements”) under applicable securities laws (such statements are often accompanied by words such as “anticipate”, “forecast”, “expect”, “believe”, “may”, “will”, “should”, “estimate”, “intend” or other similar words). All statements in this document, other than those relating to historical information or current conditions, are forward-looking statements, including, but not limited to: Nutrien’s 2020 annual guidance, including expectations regarding our adjusted net earnings per share, adjusted EBITDA and EBITDA by segment; capital spending expectations for 2020; expectations regarding our liquidity; expectations regarding performance of our operating segments in 2020; our operating segment market outlooks and market conditions for 2020, including the impact of COVID-19 thereon, and the anticipated supply and demand for our products and services, expected market and industry conditions with respect to crop nutrient application rates, planted acres, crop mix, prices and the impact of currency fluctuations and import and export volumes; and acquisitions and divestitures, and the expected synergies associated with various acquisitions, including timing thereof. These forward-looking statements are subject to a number of assumptions, risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond our control, which could cause actual results to differ materially from such forward-looking statements. As such, undue reliance should not be placed on these forward-looking statements.
All of the forward-looking statements are qualified by the assumptions that are stated or inherent in such forward-looking statements, including the assumptions referred to below and elsewhere in this document. Although we believe that these assumptions are reasonable, having regard to our experience and our perception of historical trends, this list is not exhaustive of the factors that may affect any of the forward-looking statements and the reader should not place an undue reliance on these assumptions and such forward-looking statements. Current conditions, economic and otherwise, render assumptions, although reasonable when made, subject to greater uncertainty. The additional key assumptions that have been made include, among other things, assumptions with respect to our ability to successfully complete, integrate and realize the anticipated benefits of our already completed and future acquisitions, and that we will be able to implement our standards, controls, procedures and policies at any acquired businesses to realize the expected synergies; that future business, regulatory and industry conditions will be within the parameters expected by us, including with respect to prices, margins, demand, supply, product availability, supplier agreements, availability and cost of labor and interest, exchange and effective tax rates; the completion of our expansion projects on schedule, as planned and on budget; assumptions with respect to global economic conditions and the accuracy of our market outlook expectations for 2020 and in the future; our expectations regarding the impacts, direct and indirect, of COVID-19 on our business, customers, business partners, employees, supply chain, other stakeholders and the overall economy; the adequacy of our cash generated from operations and our ability to access our credit facilities or capital markets for additional sources of financing; our ability to identify suitable candidates for acquisitions and divestitures and negotiate acceptable terms; our ability to maintain investment grade ratings and achieve our performance targets; and the receipt, on time, of all necessary permits, utilities and project approvals with respect to our expansion projects and that we will have the resources necessary to meet the projects’ approach.
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