Don't give up - fight's not over, producers told
AUSTRALIA - The state's egg producers would "have a case" if they went to court to stop cheap interstate produce being dumped on the local market, a specialist trade practices lawyer believes.Sydney barrister Neil Francey yesterday said "predatory pricing" was evident in SA and that local producers would have grounds to apply for a court injunction against major interstate competitors Pace Farm and Sunny Queen.
Mr Francey said the fact that eggs were being dumped in SA for, in some cases, less than 69c a dozen proved "something has gone wrong".
Although a preliminary investigation from the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission found "no evidence" of interstate suppliers taking advantage of their market power, Mr Francey told local producers not to give up.
"They certainly don't have to wait until the ACCC decides when it is going to take action," he said. "Other parties can take out proceedings, and that could be South Australian producers, the SA Government, or consumers."
Source: The Advertiser
22 December 2005
1 minute read
