Minimum prices – Withdrawal measures: The French Competition Authority heavily fines producers’ organisations and their associations for agreeing on minimum prices of endives (Production and trade of endives)

*This article is an automatic translation of the original article, provided here for your convenience. Read the original article. Const. dec. no. 12-D-08 of 6 March 2012 on practices implemented in the production and marketing of endives The Competition Authority sanctioned 10 endive producer organizations and seven professional associations and unions for agreeing on a global plan to set minimum selling prices for endives by issuing price instructions, regulating promotional offers, product withdrawal measures to raise prices and a price information exchange system. The fines total €3.9 million, but represent for some producer organisations up to 3% of their total turnover. Competition law fully applies to the agricultural sector, which must find other ways to rebalance its bargaining