Tesco sues salmon farmers over alleged price fixing
The UK’s biggest retailer, Tesco, has filed an antitrust lawsuit against Norway-headquartered salmon farmers who have been the targets of investigations over potentially colluding to artificially inflate prices, reports MLex website.
Tesco is not part of a £675 million joint action already being taken by other UK retailers, and appears to be pursuing its own case. In 2024, six Norway-headquartered salmon farmers – Cermaq, Grieg Seafood, Bremnes, Lerøy, Mowi and SalMar - received formal charges from the EU antitrust watchdog, which suspects they fixed prices and volumes on sales of fresh salmon into the EU.
The European Commission said the companies may have colluded to distort competition for spot sales of Norwegian farmed Atlantic salmon by exchanging information on sales prices, sales and production volumes and production capacities, among other elements.
Joint action
Last year, those six Norway producers plus Scottish Sea Farms and its subsidiaries SSF Hjaltland UK and SSF Shetland (all ultimately owned 50-50 by SalMar and Lerøy) were targeted by a private action in the UK lodged by food retailers Asda, Iceland, Marks and Spencer, Ocado, Wm Morrison, Aldi and Co-operative Group as well as International Seafoods.
Earlier this month, the salmon farmers asked the UK’s Competition Appeal Tribunal to throw out claims by the retailers, arguing it does not have jurisdiction to hear the case. A judgement is pending.
Tesco was not part of the joint claim and has instead filed its own lawsuit at the competition division of the High Court. MLex said Tesco didn’t respond to a request for comment.
Eight defendants
The retailer is targeting eight defendants: Cermaq Group, Lerøy Seafood Group, Scottish Sea Farms, Bremnes Seashore, Grieg Seafood, Grieg Seafood UK, SalMar and Sjór, which was the Norwegian arm of joint Bremnes and Grieg sales organisation Ocean Quality.
The claimants are: Tesco Stores, Booker, Booker Direct, Budgens Stores, Booker Retail Partners (GB) and Makro Self Service Wholesalers.
Some of the Norway salmon farmers are also being targeted by a collective action by a group representing consumers that seeks up to £382m for those who are said to have overpaid because of alleged breaches of competition law by the proposed defendants: Mowi and its subsidiary Mowi Holdings, SalMar, Lerøy, Scottish Sea Farms, and Grieg.
