The Czech Office for the Protection of Competition (ÚOHS) has imposed a fine of CZK 2.6 million (approx. €104,000) on Drupork Svitavy, a pork producer and member of the Rabbit Group, for abusing its significant market power by enforcing unlawful payment terms on suppliers.
According to the authority, between January 2023 and June 2024 Drupork imposed payment terms longer than the legally permitted 30 days from the delivery of an invoice in 55 cases involving four compound feed suppliers. In some instances, payment deadlines exceeded 280 days.
Drupork Svitavy focuses on hog and pig farming, raising pigs from birth (nursing/farrowing) through to fattening to slaughter weight. The company supplies much of its production to regional slaughterhouses and is considered a significant player in Czech pig farming.
The conduct was deemed a violation of the 2023 amendment to the Act on Significant Market Power and Unfair Commercial Practices, which strengthened protections across the agri-food sector. The Office emphasized that such practices place smaller suppliers at a disadvantage and contravene statutory requirements designed to ensure fair trading conditions.
The decision is not yet final, and Drupork has the right to appeal to the President of the Office for the Protection of Competition.
The case forms part of a broader enforcement effort: the Office has conducted multiple sector inquiries since 2023, initiating nearly two dozen administrative proceedings. Several have already resulted in sanctions, most commonly for failure to comply with statutory invoice maturity limits.
