N.B. shell-drying plant closes, lays off 20 staff after complaints about odour

RICHIBUCTO, N.B. — A shell-processing plant in Richibucto, N.B., says it is shutting down and laying off 20 staff because the province limited the facility’s hours of operation after residents complained of the smell.

Jamie Goguen, general manager of Coastal Shell Products, says the company has been trying to address complaints from the public about the plant, which dries shell waste from the fishing industry for fertilizer and animal feed.

The provincial government forced Coastal Shell to reduce its hours of operation in 2022 following a series of complaints from residents in the area about the smell emanating from the facility.

Since then, Goguen says the company has been operating at a loss of more than $1.2 million.

Coastal Shell says there are 10 lobster- and crab-processing facilities in the province that rely on it to dispose of their products, and Goguen says the company has been operating within the province’s environmental guidelines.

Goguen says Coastal Shell was working on a solution to address the odour but can’t afford to implement it because of the restrictions on its hours of operation.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 17, 2024.

The Canadian Press