Victorian Farmers Federation - Authorisations - A40093 and A90931

Victorian Farmers Federation, on behalf of its various chicken grower groups, sought authorisation to allow those groups to collectively negotiate (including collective boycott if necessary) with the chicken meat processor to whom they supply growing services.
On 3 March 2005 the ACCC released a decision granting conditional authorisation to the VFF arrangements, permitting collective bargaining with and, in certain circumstances, collective boycotts of chicken meat processors.
The immunity granted to the collective boycott arrangements was reviewed by the Australian Competition Tribunal in 2005 at the request of the chicken meat processors. On 21 April 2006 the Tribunal released its decision denying the authorisation that had been sought by the VFF. A copy of the Tribunal's decision is available by following the links at www.fedcourt.gov.au.
The ACCC's decision to grant authorisation to the VFF's collective bargaining arrangements was not reviewed by the Tribunal and accordingly growers continue to be able to collectively bargain with their respective chicken meat processor. The immunity granted to the collective bargaining arrangements will expire in March of 2010.