OREANDA-NEWS. June 19, 2009. The Chelyabinsk Office of the Federal Antimonopoly Service (OFAS Russia) initiated a case against milk processing enterprises in the Chelyabinsk region - a group of persons including "Chelyabinsk City Milk Integrated Works" OJSC, "Magnitogorsk Milk Integrated Works" OJSC, "Chebarkulsk Milk Plant" OJSC, as well as "Yuzhnouralsk Milk Plant" OJSC, "Kopeisk Milk Plant" OJSC, "Molochny Standard Integrated Works" OJSC,"Uisk Cheese-Making Plant" Ltd., "Russky Molochny Product" Ltd., "Satkinsk City Milk Plant" CJSC and "Camella Molochnie Prodycty" OJSC for violating Part 1 Article 11 (prohibiting competition-restrictive concerted actions) and Part 1 Article 10 of the Federal Law "On Protection of Competition" (which prohibits abusing dominant position), reported the press-centre of FAS Russia.

The Chelyabinsk OFAS Russia sees elements of antimonopoly violations in the companies simultaneously reducing purchasing prices for raw materials on average by 4 Rubles (around 25 %), while milk prices in retail chains remain the same.

The Chelyabinsk OFAS Russia is investigating the situation on the market of precessing raw milk in order to prevent and suppress violations of the antimonopoly legislation of the Russian Federation.

The case will be heard on 26th June 2009.