Avcare Ltd

Proposed industry waste management scheme for manufactures of agricultural and veterinary chemicals to charge a common levy to finance the scheme.

The Commission considered that two aspects of the drumMUSTER program may have the potential to lessen competition. These are:
1. That the scheme centres around an agreement by manufacturers to impose a levy on non-returnable containers; and
2. That collection and inspection agencies will have less scope to negotiate the terms of their contracts with Agsafe.
However, the Commission considered that the drumMUSTER program would give rise to public benefits through:
1. Encouraging users of veterinary and agricultural products to buy refillable, water soluble, cardboard or paper containers;
2. Encouraging manufacturers of veterinary and agricultural products to sell their products in refillable, water soluble, cardboard or paper containers;
3. Improving the environment through implementing a scheme providing for the appropriate disposal of unwanted empty containers of agricultural and veterinary products.
The Commission concluded that these public benefits outweighed the detriment from any lessening of competition that would be likely to result from the scheme.