The Antimonopoly Committee of Ukraine has fined some milk processing companies in Sumy, Poltava, Chernihiv and Kyiv regions a total of UAH 400,000 for collusion on the market of milk bought from households for industrial processing, reads a committee report issued on July 3, 2012.
The report says that Hadiachsyr LLC (Poltava region), public joint-stock company Wimm-Bill-Dann Ukraine (the Burynsky Powder Milk Plant subsidiary), public joint-stock company Bel Shostka Ukraine (Sumy region), private joint-stock company Novhorod-Siversky Cheese Factory (Chernihiv region), public joint-stock company Ichnia Powder Milk and Butter Plant (Chernihiv region) and private joint-stock company Pyriatyn Cheese Factory were fined.
The report says that the committee also fined Pos private enterprise (branches Romny Diary Plant and Akhtyrka Cheese Factory), MalKa-trans LLC (branches Konotop Dairy Plant and Hluhkiv Butter and Cheese Factory) and Aromat subsidiary (branch Sumy Dairy Plant).
The committee said that in January 2012 the above-mentioned companies simultaneously cut the purchase prices of milk to the same level without justification, restricting competition on the market in Sumy region.
The report says that Hadiachsyr, Ichnia Powder Milk and Butter Plant, Ros, MalKa-trans and Aromat had acknowledged the infringement.
The committee's press service said that the body has sent its recommendations to over 100 players on the market of milk bought from private households for industrial processing to prevent violation of competition law.
