Salmon

Have you paid too much for salmon?

Salmon producers accused of price fixing in £382 million compensation lawsuit affecting affecting millions of UK consumers

Six major salmon farming companies have been accused of artificially inflating the price of farmed Atlantic salmon which saw UK consumers overcharged for years.

The legal claim worth £382 million involves Mowi, Mowi Holdings, SalMar, Lerøy, Scottish Sea Farms and Grieg.

You could be eligible for compensation if you bought farmed Atlantic salmon (or any food products containing up to 50% salmon) from 1 October 2015 – when the Consumer Rights Act came into force – up to 31 May 2019. 

Six top salmon producers accused of rigging the market

The lawsuit accused the companies involved of unlawfully sharing information to drive up the price of farmed Atlantic salmon sold in major UK supermarkets. 

The six companies are said to have colluded to increase global prices for farmed Atlantic salmon which has led to increases in the prices paid by consumers. Prices are said to have increased by as much as 20%, most of which has been passed onto consumers.

Mowi, Mowi Holdings, SalMar, Lerøy, Scottish Sea Farms and Grieg are said to have worked together to increase the price of farmed Norwegian Atlantic salmon. They are accused of unlawfully sharing commercially sensitive sales information and colluding to rig prices.

Have you caught out by overpriced salmon?

The legal claim seeks fair compensation on behalf of up to 44 million UK consumers. 

You could be eligible for compensation if you bought farmed Atlantic salmon (or any food products containing up to 50% salmon) from 1 October 2015 – when the Consumer Rights Act came into force – up to 31 May 2019. 

The claim against salmon producers

Anne Heal, an ex-BT executive and current Chair of Volunteering Matters, and law firm Simmons and Simmons are accusing Mowi, Mowi Holdings, SalMar, Lerøy, Scottish Sea Farms and Grieg cartel behaviour that breached competition laws. 

The claims says UK consumers were overcharged because of alleged breaches of competition law by major suppliers of farmed Atlantic salmon to UK supermarkets, grocery stores and food manufacturers.

Consumers may have been overcharged for four years up to May 2019, shortly after the European Commission raided the offices of Atlantic salmon farmers as part of a major investigation into price  fixing.

How to claim compensation?

The specialist competition court has yet to give the go-ahead for the claim to go to trial – see ‘What’s happening with this claim’. If the claim is won you could be eligible for compensation if you bought farmed Atlantic salmon from 1 October 2015 to 31 May 2019. Sign up to Consumer Voice to stay updated.