OFT inspectors raid Wiseman office

17 May 2001



OFT inspectors raid Wiseman office

By FWi staff

SCOTTISH dairy giant Robert Wiseman has been raided by Office of Fair Trading inspectors, reports the Financial Times.

The OFT said it visited the offices of Wiseman and three other dairies on 10 May because it had “reasonable grounds to suspect infringements of the Competition Act”.

Wiseman told the FT that it was disappointed as it reported frequently to the OFT. It added that it was co-operating with an OFT request for information.

Investigations are focusing on possible breaches of the first two chapters of the Competition Act.

Cartels and restrictive agreements are prohibited in the first, while the second bans the abuse of monopoly positions.

A Competition Commission inquiry last year found that Wiseman did have a monopoly in Scotland that could operate against the public interest.

However, trade and industry secretary Stephen Byers that no action was to be taken because less than two-thirds of the inquiry group supported the conclusion.

Graham Dairies, at Bridge of Allan, and Scottish Milk and Ballantyne, both at Hamilton are the other companies under investigation.

• Dairy to escape action following monopoly probe, FWi, 05 January, 2001
• Wiseman running monopoly – Commission, FWi, 02 May, 2000
  
• Financial Times, 17 May, 2001, page 23

Farm e-Business Survey. Click here to enter and win 100 Amazon vouchers