OREANDA-NEWS. August 05, 2011. Arbitration Court of the Republic of Bashkortostan dismissed the claim of “Wimm-Bill-Dann” OJSC and “Apatit” CJSC, and upheld the decision and determination issued by the Office of the Federal Antimonopoly Service in the Republic of Bashkortostan (Bashkortostan OFAS Russia) on the case of concerted actions on the milk market, reported the press-centre of FAS Russia.

On 22nd November 2010, Bashkortostan OFAS Russia found that “Wimm-Bill-Dann” OJSC and “Apatit” CJSC violated Clause 1 Part 1 Article 11 of the Federal Law “On Protection of Competition”. The companies violated the law by engaging in concerted actions that resulted in fixing and maintaining retail prices for socially important milk (pasteurized drinking milk 2.5 – 3.2 % fat, with shelf life less than 10 days).

In course of the antimonopoly investigation, the OFAS Commission discovered that producers of dairy products simultaneously increased retail prices for milk in a unified manner in January - September 2010, which resulted in restricting competition.

OFAS issued determinations to producers of dairy products requesting them to stop the antimonopoly violations. Both companies were fined.

“Some cases won by the antimonopoly body show that Courts tend to protect competition. It is comforting that the Courts support competitive principles of development of the economy; this is very important for preventing violations on the socially important food products markets”, said the Head of Office of the Federal Antimonopoly Service in the Republic of Bashkortostan, Zulfira Akbasheva.

Reference:

From August 2010 to 10th June 2011, regional offices of FAS Russia initiated 825 cases for violating the antimonopoly law and other laws of the Russian Federation on the markets of agricultural food products. As of 10th June 2011, regional offices made 229 decisions on antimonopoly violations of the markets of flour, bread, butter and sunflower oil, milk, eggs, peeled buckwheat, salt, sugar, millet, elevator services, as well as regarding actions of the authorities in 54 Russian provinces.