Additional reporting by Louis Harkell

Norway's SalMar joined Grieg Seafood and Mowi (formerly Marine Harvest) in confirming its UK offices have been raided by European Commission (EC) officials, after Undercurrent News revealed the EC is probing allegations of price-fixing in the sector earlier on Tuesday. 

SalMar confirmed its UK joint venture Scottish Sea Farms (SSF), which is co-owned with Leroy Seafood Group, has been "inspected" as part of an EC probe of alleged price-fixing in the sector in "several" member states. 

"We are aware of the inspection at Scottish Sea Farms. No other company owned or partly owned by SalMar has been subject to inspection," Trond Tuvstein, chief financial officer of the company, told Undercurrent. "The Commission has asked SalMar to co-operate, which we, of course, will do. We have no further comments at this stage."

Executives with Leroy did not respond to a request for comment on SSF from Undercurrent. Leroy issued a stock exchange release on Wednesday confirming the inspections, however. 

The confirmation from SalMar on the visit from the EC to SSF came after Grieg and Mowi also issued statements confirming Undercurrent's story that the UK offices of Norwegian salmon farming companies were raided in the morning on Feb. 19. Sources also told Undercurrent Mowi's Rosyth processing plant in the UK was raided. It's not clear if plants in continental Europe were also raided. 

A spokesman for Mowi confirmed Rosyth had been "visited" by EC officials. The company has "nothing to hide" and is co-operating with the commission, he told Undercurrent. 

He later confirmed a plant in the Netherlands has also been raided, as the EC also issued a statement revealing the probe is broader than just the UK. 

Grieg also confirmed the raids in a stock exchange release. 

"The European Commission DG (Directorate-General for) Competition has today performed an inspection at Grieg Seafood Shetland to explore potential anti-competitive behavior in the salmon industry," the company said. "Grieg Seafood aims to be open, transparent and forthcoming and will provide all  necessary information requested by the European Commission DG Competition in its  investigation."

Letters were sent by the EC to the companies involved earlier this month notifying them there would be inspections at some point in February, sources told Undercurrent. 

The letter said the commission had received information "alleging that some Norwegian producers of farmed Norwegian Atlantic salmon" had participated in "anti-competitive agreements" [...]