At its meeting on 30 March, the Competition Council adopted an opinion for the Minister of Agriculture concerning competition restrictions in the arrangement for the importation of vegetables. In its opinion, the Competition Council points out that the price of vegetables in Iceland has, in recent years, risen considerably more than that of other foodstuffs, contrary to what was expected from Iceland's participation in the GATT Uruguay Round Agreement, and that vegetable consumption has stagnated, contrary to official dietary guidelines. Furthermore, in the opinion of the Competition Council, it is likely that protective tariffs on imported vegetables have facilitated illegal collusion between domestic vegetable producers and distribution companies with the aim of maintaining vegetable prices. For these reasons, the Competition Council calls on the Minister of Agriculture to take the initiative in reviewing the legal provisions concerning the importation of vegetables, with a view to promoting competition and lowering prices for Icelandic consumers.
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