FREDERICTON – New Brunswick’s agriculture minister says he’s willing to act as a mediator in a dispute between chicken producers and Nadeau Poultry — the province’s only processing facility.

Mike Olscamp said Thursday he believes the problem can be solved through discussion rather than legislation.

“There have been many efforts made to get them together to discuss their differences, and to that end I would continue to do that,” Olscamp said. “We have offered to be part of that, to sit as a mediator, so they can discuss their differences together.”

Nadeau Poultry general manager Yves Landry claims that Groupe Westco — an association of chicken producers in northwest New Brunswick — controls almost 80 per cent of chickens in the province, which are in turn being shipped to the Olymel plant in Quebec for processing.

He says Groupe Westco’s level of control is unprecedented in Canada and the New Brunswick government must step in to protect the industry and jobs.

Landry said more than 160 jobs were lost at the Nadeau plant in Saint-Francois-de-Madawaska, N.B., in 2009 when Westco began sending chickens to Quebec.

“Nadeau employees and the Saint-Francois community are too aware that when the New Brunswick government refuses to do what is right in its provincial supply-management role, it is in fact refusing to protect their livelihood,” Landry told a news conference in Fredericton.

“There are for-sale signs on front lawns throughout the region, motels are closed, restaurants are closed and the only pub has shut its door. I wonder who will buy them?”

Landry said he wants a new marketing board created that would allocate chickens to the processing plants.

That idea is supported by former federal agriculture minister Lyle Vanclief, who is working as a consultant for Nadeau.

“Establish a single desk, independent marketing agency for New Brunswick chicken,” Vanclief said. “It is an approach that is not without precedent and would result in a fair allocation of New Brunswick-grown chicken to any and all processors that might set up in the province.”

But Olscamp said he’s pleased with the existing marketing board that is set up for producers, not processors.

And Olscamp said he’s not willing to consider trying to block unprocessed chicken from being shipped to other provinces.

“The attempt was made with the previous government. It was challenged and the courts decided that you couldn’t impede the movement of chicken between borders,” he said.

Westco wants to build its own processing plant in New Brunswick, near the Nadeau facility. Westco officials were not immediately available for comment.