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Following a complaint from four pig farmers from Ille-et-Villaine and the opening of ex officio proceedings, the Autorité issues a decision whereby it imposes fines for a total amount of €4.57 million for several anticompetitive practices implemented in the pork slaughtering and commercialisation sector. Some of these practices were brought to light thanks to dawn raids completed by the Autorité's Investigation Services in several companies and professional organisations.
The main practice sanctioned was the concerted set up of the quantity of pigs bought by five major Breton slaughterers (Abera, Bernard, Gad, Groupe Bigard and Socopa Viandes), with the aim to, in particular, lower the prices paid to pig farmers – the fines issued in this regard amount to a total of €4,512,621.
The Autorité also fined the slaughter houses professional body, named ‘French Meat Association' (formerly known as the SNCP), for sending pricing instructions and for other anticompetitive agreements between slaughterers, of a lesser extent and duration.
Wednesday February 13, 2013/ Autorité de la Concurrence/ Francia.
http://www.autoritedelaconcurrence.fr/
