200 Tracadie residents call for halt to blueberry farm project

About 200 protesters marched on Saturday to call for a halt to a blueberry farm development in the northeastern New Brunswick municipality of Tracadie.

The provincial government called for proposals last fall for wild blueberry development on a former military shooting range that covers about 20,000 hectares. The planned blueberry project would happen on about 1,900 hectares of  Crown land. 

About 5,000 local residents have signed a petition calling for a stop to the project. They want public consultation.  

The protest Saturday was provoked by what the opponents of blueberry development said was recent forest clearing but which the government says is decontamination work unrelated to  blueberry development.

The blueberry lands are outside the area being cleared of unexploded ordnance, says Kelly Cormier, spokesperson for the Department of Agriculture. This decontamination work is being done to make the land safer for a variety of users, including hunters, fish and wildlife groups, ATV users, forest companies and the blueberry industry, Cormier said.

But Mathieu Allard, the president of Club Chasse & Peche and one of the march organizers, said the area doesn't need more blueberry farming, and the public should have been consulted from the start about the future of land that has become an integral part of community living. 

"There's a lot of blueberry fields around and we don't want any more," he said. "We're angry because that's the only piece of land left around for hunting, fishing and to do outside activities." 

Allard said the project would disrupt local wildlife and the nearby Big Tracadie River.  

He said the community first learned of the blueberry farm project last June and only heard back from the province two weeks ago. 

Allard said he has since spoken with Agriculture Minister Margaret Johnson, but no solutions have been found. 

He hopes the march Saturday makes it clear to the province that the community will not back down. 

"Hopefully the message is being heard by the government," said Allard. 

As of Sunday afternoon, Allard said, he hadn't heard from any government officials in response to the march. 

He said hopes to get some sign of hope in the coming days. 

Johnson said conversations about this development are ongoing. 

"In recent weeks and months my office has been in conversation with a number of individuals and organizations in the region, including the local MLA, the municipality, blueberry industry representatives, as well as hunting, fishing, wildlife and ATV groups," she said in an email. 

She had no further comment. 

Tracadie mayor says most community members against project

Tracadie Mayor Denis Losier said the community needs to be consulted before the project moves forward. 

"It's on our territory," he said. 

"When you're going to implement a major project like this, you need to involve your partners." 

Allard said while Johnson has consulted with the group of concerned community members, he wants to speak with a wider range of government officials on the matter. 

CBC News requested comment from the premier's office, but did not receive a response.