The Finnish Competition and Consumer Authority (FCCA) says it has uncovered a "cartel" consisting of several berry-picking companies, some of which have previously been implicated in human trafficking cases.

The FCCA said the berry companies had collaborated unlawfully for around 10 years leading up to 2023.

As a result, "the companies have been able to pay pickers lower prices for berries, since their competitors have not offered better terms," the agency's director-general, Kirsi Leivo, told reporters.

"The companies reduced competitive pressure in the sale of frozen domestic wild berries by exchanging information on prices and market conditions," Leivo said. 

The cartel's operations had "directly harmed pickers" and "undermined competition in the sales market," she added.

The FCCA said it was proposing that a commercial court impose penalties totalling 9.4 million euros ($10.9m) on four wild berry companies for colluding on a "purchasing and information‑exchange cartel". 

In a statement, the agency said the companies had "coordinated the purchase prices they paid to wild berry pickers - the so‑called picker prices", via phone calls and WhatsApp messages.

Trafficking

Finland's berry picking sector has been in turmoil in recent years after cases of exploitation of seasonal migrant workers came to light.

The former CEO of the berry firm Kiantama was recently convicted of several counts of human trafficking, while the former chief of Polarica is currently on trial on the same charges. 

A majority of people working in the sector have been Thai berry pickers who were employed as independent contractors, picking lingonberries, blueberries and cloudberries in Finnish forests. 

According to the FCCA, the cartel included some of Finland's biggest companies in the sector, including Arctic International, Kaskein Marja, Kiantama, Marja Bothnia Berries and Polarica.

Kiantama, however, was granted immunity from the proposed fines as it helped FCCA in exposing the cartel. 

Polarica and Marja Bothnia Berries on Wednesday both denied the claims.