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Australia: Competition Commission probing potato contracts

By  |  August 2, 2018

Following a complaint by an unnamed Tasmanian farmer, Australia’s competition watchdog is looking into contract negotiations between vegetable processor McCain Foods and growers in Victoria and Tasmania.

As part of the investigation, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) sent out letters to potato suppliers for the company’s Victorian and Tasmanian plants in early June.

The letters ask suppliers to provide information about their experiences during contract negotiations with the company as far back as 2010.

The ACCC letter states it is concerned McCain may have engaged in “unconscionable conduct” during contract negotiations with growers.

Concerns about the company’s treatment of growers were first raised back in 2012, when McCain abandoned the industry’s collective bargaining agreement and moved to start negotiations with individual growers.

Full Content: The Advocate

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