Competition and Consumer Protection Commission

Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 16 December 2015

Wednesday, 16 December 2015

Questions (83)

Noel Grealish

Question:

83. Deputy Noel Grealish asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he envisages any problem with a company (details supplied) gaining control of the meat industry and controlling the price paid to farmers due to its recent takeover of a 50% shareholding in another company, which also gives the company greater control of the rendering industry and puts more pressure on the price being paid to farmers, which is very low at the moment. [45551/15]

Written answers

Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine

The State, through the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission, has an existing and well established infrastructure for oversight of competition matters and for dealing with allegations of anti-competitive practices or abuse of a dominant position.

I understand that acquisitions or mergers of organisations with turnover exceeding certain statutory thresholds are required to be notified to that body, which conducts an assessment to determine whether there will be any “substantial lessening of competition”. The acquisition referred to by the deputy will be subject to the relevant statutory requirements under competition law.