Ákvörðun Samkeppniseftirlitsins nr. 58/2007

On 29 June 2007, the Competition Authority received a merger notification announcing that Fóðurblandan hf. had acquired goodwill, stock and other assets from KHB-Miðbæ ehf. In the opinion of the Competition Authority, the acquisition constituted a merger within the meaning of Articles 4 and 17 of the Competition Act, and the merger is subject to the merger control provisions of Article 17 of the Act, as the turnover thresholds are met.

The Competition Authority considers that the merger creates the possibility of integrating the sale of the merging parties' products and services, which will strengthen the position of the combined company in the feed and fertiliser markets.

The Competition Authority's conclusion is that the merger could, if nothing is done, restrict current competition and also the ability of new entrants to enter the feed and fertiliser markets. The Competition Authority also considers that the merger could lead to the interconnection of products and/or services across different product and service markets, with the corresponding restriction of competition. For these reasons, the following conditions are imposed on the merger, to which the merging parties have agreed:

1. Samrunaaðilum er óheimilt að gera það að skilyrði fyrir kaupum á fóðurvörum að kaupendur fóðurs kaupi jafnframt áburð og skilyrði fyrir kaupum á áburði að kaupendur áburðar kaupi jafnframt fóðurvörur. Ennfremur er samrunaaðilum óheimilt að verðleggja fóður sem boðinn er með áburði eða áburður sem boðinn er með fóðri þannig að verðlagning eða verðtilboð jafngildi skilyrði um að ein tegund vöru sé keypt með annarri.
2. The merging parties are prohibited from making the purchase of any other product or service sold or provided by them or their affiliated companies a condition of the purchase of fertiliser or feed. Furthermore, the merger parties are prohibited from pricing fertiliser and feed products together with other products or services of affiliated companies in such a way that the pricing of the offers amounts to a condition that one type of product or service is purchased together with another.
3. If co-operatives of the merger partners resell fertiliser or feed, the company concerned shall treat competitors in the fertiliser- and feed markets, the opportunity is also to be offered to competitors to sell fertiliser and/or feed in the relevant cooperative on an equal footing with Áburðarverksmiðjan hf., Fóðurblöndan hf. and/or Bústólpi ehf.
4. Séu fóðurvörur seldar ásamt áburði skal verð þeirra aðgreint. Sama gildir ef tengd fyrirtæki bjóða sínar vörur eða þjónustu ásamt áburði eða fóðurvörum.
5. The conditions of this decision apply to the merger parties and all other undertakings that are and will become part of the group.
6. Brot á þessum skilyrðum varðar viðurlögum samkvæmt IX. kafla samkeppnislaga.“

Um forsendur og röksemdir ákvörðunarinnar vísast að öðry leyti til ákvörðunar Samkeppniseftirlitsins nr. 58/2007.