Printable version in PDF

ANNOUNCEMENT OF THE GVH

The Hungarian Competition Authority (GVH) fined the Council for Wild Animal Products and Services for restrictive price fixing

On its trial held on 1 March 2005 the Competition Council of the GVH imposed a fine of HUF 80 million on the Council for Wild Animal Products and Services for fixing obligatory prices for its members. The proceedings were initiated against an agreement restricting competition on the HUF 1.7 billion domestic markets of the buying-up of big game`s flesh.

The GVH realized in the course of one of its proceedings, which examined the market of rent hunting that a price agreement suitable to restrict economic competition on the market of the buying-up of big game`s flesh was concluded between market players.

Therefore it started proceedings in September 2003 against the Council and its members that were interested in the buying-up in question. During the proceedings, the Competition Council established that it happened eleven times between 28 August 2000 and 8 April 2004 that the Council for Wild Animal Products and Services determined mandatory prices for the buying-up of big game`s flesh with a spillover effect on the whole of the wild animal flesh market The Product Council bears all the competition responsibility for its decision concerning the price setting, hence the Competition Council terminated the proceedings against the members of the Product Council.

At determining the amount of the fine, the Competition Council took into consideration the proportion falling on the members from the marketing of the unprocessed flesh of big game and the objectionable price setting practices the Product Council had over several years. It was also that the Product Council was already fined earlier by the GVH because of its unlawful practice affecting another segment of the rent hunting market. In its earlier decision of 9 December 2004 concerning a rent-hunting price cartel, the Competition Council established the unlawful practice of - among others - the Product Council and imposed a fine of HUF 150 million on it.