International Competition Network (ICN) 2025: Plenary session on global market power in agrifood systems
The globalisation of modern agricultural and food value chains have opened markets for food producers and allowed consumers to diversify their food choices. However, these value chains have shown an increased tendency towards concentration and vertical integration, potentially leading to coordinated or unilateral anti-competitive conduct. Such conduct could have cross-border dimensions, bringing new challenges for competition regulation at the national level.
During the ICN 2025 plenary session by the ICN Special Project on Competition Concerns in Agriculture and Food Markets, speakers will discuss the challenges of identifying and enforcing against anti-competitive arrangements in agrifood markets with a particular focus on cross-border aspects. Reference will be made to concrete examples from Kenya (animal feed), Australia (supermarkets), Hungary (dairy) and Saudi Arabia (fresh produce).
Global regulatory action
Below, links to a select number of market inquiries, merger notifications and anti-competitive investigations in the agrifood sector by national and regional competition regulators.
Spotlight on Africa
The African Market Observatory, part of the University of Johannesburg’s Centre for Competition, Regulation and Economic Development (CCRED), assesses market dynamics throughout the supply chains for staple foods across eastern and southern Africa.
Sign up to receive the monthly food price tracker.
The Shamba Centre for Food & Climate published a landmark report, Empowering African Food Producers and Agricultural Enterprises Through Stronger Competition Law and Policy, that reveals dysfunction and distortion in African agrifood systems due to extreme levels of concentration and offers a roadmap for action and reform.
The Agrifood Anti-Monopoly Tracker provides on competition matters in agrifood markets reviewed by competition regulators in Africa between January 2023 - December 2024.