The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) has filed Federal Court civil proceedings alleging cartel conduct and concerted practices involving Sunny Queen and 11 other egg producers and suppliers in Australia since at least October 2020.

Allegations include coordination on production volumes, distribution, expansion plans, and culling to manage perceived oversupply, potentially reducing competition for many years.

The ACCC claims the companies coordinated to influence eggs’ supply and pricing, including actions involving purchasing a property in Queensland to block rival suppliers and restricting Kinross’s ability to sell eggs to major retailers such as Coles, Woolworths, Aldi, Metcash, and Costco.

This case marks the first ACCC action to include concerted practice allegations since such prohibitions were introduced in 2017, with a definition of concerted practice as cooperation beyond independent actions.

ACCC chair Gina Cass-Gottlieb described the alleged conduct as extremely serious and stated that protecting competition in fresh food supply chains is a priority for ensuring consumers benefit from competition on price.

The ACCC is seeking declarations, penalties, injunctions, costs, and other orders; Sunny Queen and other defendants have denied the allegations and will defend the claims in court.

Sunny Queen says it fully cooperated with the investigation, denies the allegations, intends to defend the proceedings, and notes its long-standing role in supplying eggs and maintaining high ethical standards.

Named defendants include Sunny Queen and 11 suppliers, such as Doug Hall Poultry Pty Ltd, Alpair Pty Ltd trading as McLean Farms, Ellerslie Free Range Farms Pty Ltd, Kinross Farm Pty Ltd, among others.

The case underscores ongoing scrutiny of competition practices in Australia’s egg industry and potential impacts on consumer prices and choice.

The context notes the report date and reporter for reference: October 13, 2026, with Elias Visontay as the context reporter.