To protect competition for farmers located near Virden, Manitoba, the Competition Bureau is challenging Parrish & Heimbecker’s (P&H) recent acquisition of a primary grain elevator in that area from Louis Dreyfus Company (LDC) and is requiring that P&H sell either its own elevator in Moosomin, Saskatchewan or its newly acquired elevator in Virden, Manitoba. Prior to the sale, the two elevators closely monitored each other’s wheat and canola prices and responded to competitive activity from each other by offering farmers better prices. The acquisition eliminates this rivalry and as a result, it is anticipated that farmers in the corridor between Moosomin and Virden will earn less for their wheat and canola. The Bureau’s application is available on the Competition Tribunal’s website.
