ST. FRANÇOIS-DE-MADAWASKA, N.B. — Employees at Nadeau Poultry are launching a public awareness campaign demanding immediate action by the New Brunswick government to stop provincially grown chickens and jobs from being lost to Quebec.
“Government caused it. Government must fix it, “said Yves Landry, manager of Nadeau, in a statement. “This campaign is about getting our voices and our message heard. The people of St. François are aware that a remedy is readily available and the New Brunswick government must implement it now before more jobs are lost and the instability in the chicken industry becomes entrenched.”Since 2009, almost 80 per cent of New Brunswick-grown chickens have been transported to Group Westco’s Olymel plant in Québec for processing bypassing Nadeau Poultry, the province’s only chicken processor.
In a move that goes against government regulation, Group Westco, has acquired control of more than 50 per cent of the chicken supply. The company is now planning to build another plant in New Brunswick. Meanwhile, Landry says there is a limited supply of chicken that can be grown in the province and the addition of second plant will mean having to reach out to other provinces for the chickens.
The dispute between processors not only affects employees and the economy of this northern community, where people have been laid off and businesses closed, but also the chicken industry in eastern Canada and Ontario.
For more on New Brunswick Chicken Crisis, please visit nadeaupoultry.com
