Meetings are gatherings of members at which the Committee’s business is
transacted and represent the
opportunity to legitimately further the Committee’s goals. Because the Committee member
companies may
include competitors, AFRC meetings must be conducted to avoid even the appearance that members
are
taking common action, which might unreasonably restrict trade.
It is difficult to delineate in a set of guidelines the permissible limits of discussion at an
AFRC meeting because
so much is dependent upon the context in which any particular subject is to be raised. However,
to avoid the
most sensitive areas and meet to transact lawful Committee business for the betterment of our
industries,
please follow these guidelines:
DON'T
- Don’t discuss or exchange information regarding:
- Prices, distribution, terms or conditions of sale, volume of production, territories or
customers;
- Pricing methods, policies or changes;
- Profits and market share;
- Identified individual company statistics, inventories or merchandising methods;
- Changes in industry production, capacity, quotas or inventories.
- Don’t undertake activities that will require exchanging or collection of information
regarding prices, etc., without the advice of legal counsel.
- Don’t exclude anyone from participating in any activity or communication if such action
might impair their ability to compete or obtain goods or services in the market place.
- Don’t try to standardize any product in such a way as to prevent the manufacture or sale
of any product that does not conform.
- Don’t discuss orally or in writing anything that could be interpreted as an agreement
not to purchase from any supplier.
- Don’t discuss or exchange any information during social gatherings incidental to
meetings regarding any of the above matters.
DO
- Follow a formal agenda at all meetings and distribute copies of minutes to all meetings to
participants for approval.
- Protest any discussions or meetings that appear to violate antitrust laws and dissociate
yourself from any such discussion or activity.
- Upon leaving any meeting that appears to violate antitrust laws, be sure that such removal
is reflected in the minutes of the meeting.