OREANDA-NEWS. September 20, 2010. Sverdlovsk Office of the Federal Antimonopoly Service (OFAS Russia) investigated a case against four milk plant (“Irbitsky Milk Plant” State Unitary Enterprise for Sverdlovsk Region, “Revdinsky Milk Works” Ltd., “Moloko” OJSC and “Pervaya Molochnaya Kompania” CJSC) upon the sings of violating Article 11 of the Federal Law “On Protection of Competition”, reported the press-centre of FAS Russia.

Sverdlovsk OFAS Russia initiated the case on 6th September 2010 based on the results of its monitoring of prices for the main socially important goods in Sverdlovsk region. Prices were monitored following the instructions of FAS Russia to tighten control over food markets in the period of draught.

The antimonopoly body suspected that the above economic entities were engaged in concerted actions that resulted in simultaneous increase of prices for dairy products in the Sverdlovsk region from 1st September 2010.

“Following the instructions of the Head of FAS Igor Artemyev, Sverdlovsk OFAS Russia increased antimonopoly control over food markets. We carry out weekly monitoring of prices for socially-important food products, as a result of which we discovered the signs of violating the Federal Law “On Protection of Competition” by milk plants and grain suppliers. Now we will need to find out whether the actions of economic entities were justified or they were speculative”, said the Head of the Sverdlovsk OFAS Russia Tatiana Kolotova.