The Supreme Constitutional Court has rejected an appeal by the Pan-Cyprian Cattle Breeders' Organisation (POA) and upheld a €2.1 million administrative fine imposed for violations of the Protection of Competition Law, the Commission for the Protection of Competition announced on Friday.
The court dismissed the appeal, registered as case No. 135/21, on 6 April 2026, confirming the Commission's original decision in its entirety.
The fine was broken down across four categories of violation. The Commission imposed €600,000 for price-fixing practices in contracts with cattle breeders and a further €600,000 for exclusivity and non-competition clauses. An additional €100,000 was imposed for a practice described as "smooth milk production," and €800,000 was imposed for the application of excessive and unfair prices by a dominant undertaking.
In its appeal, POA had raised a number of grounds, including an alleged lack of impartiality on the part of the Commission's president and the handling of her recusal, as well as the Commission's dual role as both investigator and adjudicator, combined with what it argued was limited judicial oversight. The organisation also challenged the finding that its right of access to the file had not been violated, and contested the conclusion that a continuing infringement had been established as an a ggravating circumstance.
The Supreme Constitutional Court rejected all grounds of appeal, finding that the first instance court had assessed the case correctly. It confirmed the lawfulness of the procedure, the accuracy of the Commission's conclusions and their compliance with the principles of administrative and EU law.
Source: CNA