Several companies in the Austrian pellet industry accused of price fixing

On October 18, 2022, officials from the Austrian Federal Competition Authority (BWB) knocked on the doors of several Austrian pellet companies at the same time. They had a search warrant with them, approved by the Higher Regional Court (OLG) in Vienna. The competition watchdogs combed offices, confiscated documents and copied data. Their suspicion: Several companies in the industry are said to have made illegal agreements to set prices, divide up customers and thus control sales. Accordingly, two months before the house searches, an anonymous whistleblower called the authorities. The man, who works in the industry himself, recalled a conversation ...