PGG Wrightson Limited

PGG Wrightson Limited were fined $2.7 million following settlement for breaching sections 27(1) and (2), and sections 27(1) and (2) via s 30 of the Commerce Act 1986 by entering into three anti-competitive agreements to set fees at livestock saleyards. They also agreed to contribute $50,000 to the Commission's costs. The fees arose in connection with the National Animal Identification and Tracing Act 2012. The agreements were: agents would charge farmers an RFID administration fee of $1.50 per head of cattle to register saleyard based cattle movements; saleyards would increase existing yard fees by $1.50 per head of cattle; and saleyards would charge a minimum fee of $25 for the tagging of any untagged cattle ($10 for any calves), where four employees of PGG Wrightson, Nigel John Thorpe, Donald Hugh James Baines, Douglas Michael Edwin Cartridge and Andrew Clark were charged according to their seniority and involvement in the conduct: Mr Thorpe ($25,000), Mr Baines ($20,000), Mr Cartridge ($20,000) and Mr Clark ($15,000).