The competition authority NMa has fined a number of bell pepper and silverskin onion growers a total of €23m for cartel forming. At the bell pepper cartel, cooperations made price agreements and in the silverskin onion growers made agreements on the growing area.
Bell pepper cartel
Three cooperatives ZON, UWG and Rainbow, who are good for 30-40% of the Dutch production, formed price cartels between May 2006 and February 2009 and were fined €14m. UWG and Rainbow will be fined for 7 million Euro each and ZON won't be fined, because the organisation announced it to the NMa before an investigation was started. A third party had a facilitating role in the cartel for keeping pepper prices artificially high. Together, they control some 30% of the Dutch bell pepper production.
The sector turned over €400m in 2010.
FresQ do not recognize the accusation and will appeal the decision. According to them they respect the work of NMa, but think they made the wrong decision.
Silverskin onion cartel
The silverskin onion growers were fined for making agreements to limit production between 1998 and 2010 in an effort to drive up prices. Five companies are responsible for some 70% of European silverskin onion production, the NMa said. They will receive a fine of total €9m, TOP (EUR 6,275,000), VECO (EUR 1,139,000), CROP (EUR 1,012,000), Thopol (EUR 450.000) and Primofin (EUR 450,000).
TOP Onions will appeal the decision. They say that they surprised by in the time-scale and the gravity of the accusation. Besides they say that NMa artificially increased the fine, by overestimating the turnover and including turnover outside Holland.