The Competition Council announced on Friday that it had decided, on the proposal of its interim general rapporteur, to take action ex officio to investigate certain pricing and non-pricing commercial practices observed on the market for compound feed intended for the poultry and other related markets.
This decision follows the conclusions of opinion No. A/3/24 of the CC, dated September 26, 2024, concerning the state of competition in the compound foods market in Morocco, according to a press release from the interim General Rapporteur of the Council.
“The aforementioned opinion of the Competition Council, after noting the highly concentrated structure of the compound feed market intended for the poultry sector, highlighted several competitive dysfunctions in this market as well as in other related markets, in particular that of day-old chicks. These two inputs represent nearly 75% of the cost price of the broiler chicken and therefore influence its selling price.”
This decision of automatic referral is part of the constitutional and legislative missions and attributions of the CC, aimed at regulating competition on the markets and protecting the interests of consumers, particularly with regard to essential products having a significant impact on their purchasing power.
-The CC specifies that at this stage, the automatic referral is a procedural act which does not prejudge the existence of anti-competitive practices in the markets concerned. Only the deliberative bodies of the Council can, after an investigation on the merits carried out in a contradictory manner and with respect for the rights of defense of the parties concerned, rule on the merits of the practices if the elements of the investigation and the investigation establish their existence.
