Canadian businesses who purchased at least CAD $1 million worth of farmed Atlantic salmon during the relevant period are eligible to receive compensation.
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The Federal Court of Canada has approved a settlement distributing CAD 2.5 million (USD 1.8m / EUR 1.66m) to Canadian commercial purchasers of farmed Atlantic salmon, following a class action lawsuit that alleged a group of salmon producers "unlawfully conspired to fix the global and North American prices of farmed Atlantic Salmon in violation of Canada’s Competition Act".
The final settlement, announced in recent days, resolves claims made on behalf of Canadian businesses that purchased farmed Atlantic salmon or products containing Atlantic salmon between April 10, 2013, and February 20, 2019.
The defendants in the case - including Norwegian salmon farming companies Cermaq, Grieg, Lerøy, Mowi, Nova Sea, and SalMar - denied any wrongdoing, but agreed last year to pay CAD 5.25 million, of which approximately CAD 2.5 million remains after legal fees and other costs, and will be available for distribution to eligible class members.
The settlement is not an admission of liability by any party but rather a compromise of disputed claims, stated legal firm Siskinds, who represented the plaintiffs in the case.
Those eligible for compensation are individuals or businesses who purchased at least CAD 1 million worth of farmed Atlantic salmon during the relevant period, with the compensation disbursed on a pro rata basis. Eligible parties must file claims by February 7, 2025.
Since not all members of the class are eligible to file a claim, a portion of the settlement is being allocated to Food Banks Canada in lieu of payments to consumers, the lawyers said.
In March 2024, it emerged that some of the UK's top supermarkets were taking joint action against the same salmon producers, seeking compensation of £675 million (USD 858.4m / EUR 790m), in the wake of a European Commission investigation into anti-competitive conduct in spot sales of Atlantic salmon into the European market during the period 2011-2019.
In June 2024, a UK consumer group mounted a separate legal case against the salmon companies, seeking financial compensation of up to £382 million (USD 484m / EUR 451m) for consumers who purchased farmed Atlantic salmon products from grocery retailers - from any retail environment, whether physical stores or online sales channels - in the UK between October 2015 and May 2019.
All of the salmon firms in question have strenuously denied any wrongdoing, and said they will exercise their right to respond to the European Commission's findings.
