EU says Norwegian salmon producers might have distorted competition
25/01/2024 10:45
Jan 25 (Reuters) - The European Commission on Thursday
said it had informed six Norwegian salmon producers of its
suspicion that they have breached EU antitrust rules by
distorting competition for spot sales of Norwegian farmed
Atlantic salmon in the EU.
The commission said it was concerned that producers Cermaq,
Grieg Seafood GSFG.OL , Bremnes, Leroy LSG.OL , Mowi MOWI.OL
and SalMar SALM.OL had exchanged commercially sensitive
information about prices and volumes between 2011 and 2019 to
reduce market uncertainty.
Antitrust regulators raided salmon farms in several
European Union countries in February 2019, including some owned
by Mowi, in a suspected cartel inquiry.
While the commission at the time did not name the companies
involved, Mowi, the world's biggest producer of farmed Atlantic
salmon, said that the EU regulators had raided two of its
businesses, in Scotland and the Netherlands.
Norway accounts for over half of the production of farmed
Atlantic salmon worldwide and the EU is its main importer.
The alleged conduct concerns sales of fresh, whole and
gutted Atlantic salmon farmed in Norway, which accounts for
nearly 80% of all farmed Atlantic salmon it exports.
It does not concern frozen farmed Atlantic salmon or
processed products such as salmon fillets, loins, or smoked
salmon, the commission said.
The statement of objections sent to the companies does not
prejudge the outcome of an investigation, it added.
(Reporting by Bart Meijer)
((Bart.Meijer@thomsonreuters.com;))