The European Commission (EC) last week imposed fines totalling €16.7 million ($17.8 million) on six French federations in the beef sector. The federations are being fined for having taken part in an agreement to set a minimum price for some categories of beef and to suspend or, at the very least, limit imports of all types of beef into France. "The competition rules also apply to agriculture, as this decision makes clear. Nevertheless, the Commission has taken account of the difficult context facing the beef sector, which had been shaken by successive crises. As far as the slaughterers are concerned, it has also taken account of the fact that they were acting under pressure and the threat of violence from farmers", Mario Monti, the Commission Member with special responsibility for competition, stated.
