A hearing date has been set for the next stage of a class action lawsuit brought against many key salmon producers.
The hearing has been directed by the UK Competition Appeal Tribunal and is set for 4 March.
The claim demands up to £382m, including interest, in compensation for consumers who bought certain farmed Atlantic salmon products from UK grocery retailers between October 2015 and May 2019.
The proposed defendants include Mowi and its subsidiary Mowi Holdings, SalMar, Lerøy, Scottish Sea Farms and Grieg.
The tribunal is set to last two days and seeks the views of any interested parties, including those not involved in the proposed class.
It will hear arguments about whether the proposed claim is suitable to proceed as a collective proceeding on behalf of the proposed class, and whether Waterside Class Ltd (Waterside) should be authorised to act as the class representative.
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“The allegations in this claim are also the subject of a regulatory investigation in the EU, a proposed claim in the UK by UK-based supermarket retailers, and class actions in both the US and Canada,” according to Waterside’s website, Salmon Claim.
The organisation, which alleges that the salmon producers formed a ‘cartel’ to artificially inflate the price of farmed salmon by up to 20% and unlawfully colluded, was incorporated to bring the collective claim, and its sole director is Anne Heal.
“We look forward to the hearing in March, when the specialist competition court will decide whether our claim can proceed to full trial,” said Heal. ”Our action seeks redress for the millions of British salmon fans who, we say, have spent years overpaying for one of the UK’s best loved and nutritious foods.
”If our claim is successful, the salmon producers will have to do the right thing and compensate consumers - who, allegedly, have paid up to 20% more for their salmon than they should have done between 2015 and 2019.”
Based in the UK, she was previously director of regulatory affairs for BT, held roles at the Office of Rail & Road and the General Dental Council, and was chair of the Thames Water Customer Challenge Group.
She has established an advisory panel of experts to offer support and guidance to Waterside throughout the proceedings.
The organisation would conduct the claim, instruct lawyers and economists, make strategic decisions, and consider any settlement offers.
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