Spain: Nestlé dodges €10m fine in milk cartel case

Food giant Nestlé has avoided a fine of €10.6 million (US$12.3 million) imposed by the Spanish competition regulator, the CNMC, in 2015, after it emerged victorious from the legal conflict that the company has waged for 3 years against the regulator.

The company was fined for its participation in behaviors such as the exchange of sensitive information for pricing on the purchase of raw milk. The CNMC initially imposed a fine of €88.6 million (US$102.3 million) on nine companies and two associations in the sector, several of whom appealed before the National High Court and Supreme Court.

Nestlé is the first case that ends with a favorable ruling for the company, having accepted the company’s argument of a procedural error by the CNMC in the preparation of the file.