Südzucker AG

In February 2014, Germany's Bundeskartellamt imposed fines on Südzucker AG and other major German sugar producers for anti-competitive territorial, quota and price agreements. The authority said the cartel had operated for many years, with some conduct dating back to the mid-1990s and continuing until searches in 2009. The companies agreed to respect traditional home sales territories, coordinated prices and quantities, and in 2008 coordinated future production volumes and quota reductions. The Bundeskartellamt said the arrangements were aimed at achieving the highest possible sugar prices and restricted the remaining competition permitted under EU sugar-market regulation. The authority imposed approximately €280 million in total fines on the three producers and responsible individuals. Its published cartel statistics identify €195.5 million as the highest single-company fine in the 2014 sugar proceedings. Sources: Bundeskartellamt https://www.bundeskartellamt.de/SharedDocs/Meldung/DE/Pressemitteilungen/2014/18_02_2014_Zucker.html Bundeskartellamt https://www.bundeskartellamt.de/EN/Tasks/Cartels/Cartel_fine_proceedings/Cartel_fine_proceedings_node.html