The Irish Times (IT) has reported that EU competition officials have raided the headquarters of fruit importer Fyffes in a probe into a suspected cartel in the banana and pineapple businesses.

According to the IT, up to seven inspectors from the EU competition body and the Competition Authority in Dublin are believed to have spent most of the day at Fyffes headquarters in central Dublin after they entered the office at around 10am.

The visit was co-ordinated with a series of other raids on several major banana and pineapple distribution companies in Germany, Belgium and Britain, said the report.

The inspectors are thought to have examined paper and computer-based records held by Fyffes, which has been involved for months in an insider dealing case in the High Court against industrial holding group DCC.

The European Commission's competition directorate general was not previously known to be investigating the fruit industry. However, its spokesman Jonathan Todd said last night that the antitrust body had reason to believe that companies under investigation "may have violated" article 81 of the EC Treaty, which prohibits price-fixing and market-sharing practices.

Under EU law, the European Commission can fine companies as much as 10 per cent of their annual sales for breaching antitrust rules. It typically opts for about 2-3 per cent of sales. The largest fine imposed by the commission was €855.2 million against seven companies in 2001 for fixing the price of vitamins.

Fyffes' company secretary Philip Halpenny said the company was co-operating with the investigation, but declined to comment further. "EU Commission officials today made unannounced visits to Fyffes premises in connection with inquiries they are making into the banana and pineapple trade in the EU," he said.

"The visits related to a wider inquiry that includes all of Fyffes' principal competitors in the European market and we are co-operating with those inquiries."

It is unclear whether the competition officials plan any further visit to Fyffes' offices or whether they have demanded that the company produce any further records.

A spokesman for Chiquita in Cincinnati, said the company's Antwerp offices were also raided yesterday.

As yet, neither Dole or Del Monte have made any comment.

Todd said that surprise inspections were "a preliminary step" in investigations into suspected cartels.