Several Atlantic fish farming companies face a £382 million ($482 million) class action on behalf of millions of U.K. consumers who accuse the businesses of running a cartel to artificially inflate salmon prices.
Salmon Farmers £382M Class Action : Waterside Files Claim
Waterside, a company incorporated to bring the proceedings, said on Friday it filed a claim in the Competition Appeal Tribunal accusing the seafood companies of unlawfully colluding to raise prices for farmed Atlantic salmon. The cartel led to salmon prices being up to 20% higher than they should have been, and this cost was passed along to consumers, according to the claim.
Consumer Advocate Speaks Out
Waterside director and consumer advocate Anne Heal accused the companies of conspiring to “raid the wallets of hard-working shoppers.”
“This action aims to seek fair redress for the millions of British consumers who we say spent years overpaying for one of the U.K.’s favorite and highly nutritious foods,” Heal said. “By bringing this collective action, I want to give a voice to affected consumers across the U.K., and see them properly compensated for their losses.”
Salmon Farmers £382M Class Action : The Class Action Details
The opt-out claim seeks up to £382 million for up to 44 million consumers who bought certain farmed Atlantic salmon products from U.K. retailers between October 2015 and May 2019. The proposed defendants are Mowi, its subsidiary Mowi Holdings, SalMar, Lerøy, Scottish Sea Farms, and Grieg, who are major suppliers of farmed Atlantic salmon to U.K. supermarkets, grocery stores, and food manufacturers.
