Salmon producers to contest cartel charges at Sept 15-18 hearing (updated)
13/09/2024 19:48
(Adds SalMar, Grieg Seafood comment in paragraphs 8-9)
By Foo Yun Chee
BRUSSELS, Sept 13 (Reuters) - Grieg Seafood, SalMar and
other Norwegian salmon producers will challenge EU charges of
taking part in a cartel and fixing prices at a hearing in
Brussels next week, the companies and three people with direct
knowledge of the matter said.
The closed-door hearing in front of senior antitrust
officials from the European Commission and national watchdogs
and possibly third parties comes eight months after the
companies were hit with a statement of objections or charge
sheet under antitrust legislation.
The EU executive, which acts as the EU competition enforcer,
declined to comment.
In its charge sheet, it said Mowi MOWI.OL , Mitsubishi
Corp's 8058.T Cermaq, Grieg Seafood GSFG.OL , Bremnes, Leroy
LSG.OL , and SalMar SALM.OL exchanged commercially sensitive
information such as sales prices and production volumes between
2011 and 2019.
It said this only related to sales on the spot market of
Norwegian farmed Atlantic salmon into the EU and not sales based
on long-term contracts.
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 exported from Norway.
The companies were raided by the EU watchdog in 2019.
Norway accounts for over half of the production of farmed
Atlantic salmon worldwide and the EU is its main importer.
Salmar said it strongly disagreed with the Commission's
preliminary assessment and would present its views on this at
the hearing.
Grieg Seafood confirmed it would attend the hearing and
denied any antitrust infringements or anti-competitive behaviour
by it or its subsidiaries.
Mowi declined to comment. The other companies did not
respond to requests for comment. They all risk fines as much as
10% of their global turnover for breaching EU antitrust rules.
The six companies agreed to pay $85 million to resolve
antitrust claims from salmon purchasers in 2022. Earlier this
year, a group of UK retailers said they planned to seek damages.
The U.S. Department of Justice closed its investigation in
2023 after sending subpoenas to Mowi, SalMar, Leroy, and Grieg
in 2019, the companies have said.
(Reporting by Foo Yun Chee; editing by Philippa Fletcher and
Jonathan Oatis)
((foo.yunchee@thomsonreuters.com; +32 2 585 2866; Reuters
Messaging: foo.yunchee.thomsonreuters.com@reuters.net))