The claimants allege that the six companies manipulated benchmark prices for Norwegian Atlantic salmon by using related entities to purchase it at inflated prices, regardless of demand or levels of production. The manipulation meant that most other Atlantic salmon suppliers also sold their product at higher prices, even though they were not part of the cartel, according to the claim.
Alleged Price Manipulation
The businesses unlawfully exchanged commercially sensitive information in emails, meetings, and “working dinners” about the price and volume of salmon sales, according to the claim. The unlawful overcharging continued until the European Commission raided the offices of several Atlantic salmon farmers in 2019 as part of a major investigation into price-fixing, the claim said.
European Commission Investigation
Europe’s competition enforcer announced in January that it suspected several Norwegian fish farming companies participated in a scheme to manipulate competition in the European Union. The commission’s claims are related to almost 80% of all farmed Atlantic salmon exported from Norway, which is responsible for more than half of farmed Atlantic salmon production worldwide, the agency said. These do not include frozen farmed Atlantic salmon or processed salmon products.
