First Principles of Business Law

Performance and breach of contract

6. Risk and Frustration

6.5. Taking the risk of changed circumstances

 

 

 

Read the facts and the question and then choose the best answer.

A, supplier of grains in NSW, agrees to sell 5,000 tonnes of wheat to B, a miller, for $250 per tonne. But just when sunny weather is needed to ripen and harvest the crop, an unusual shift in weather patterns causes widespread rain in Australia and the national wheat crop is devastated. There is insufficient wheat in the country to meet demand. Imported wheat costs twice the price. A tells B that in these changed circumstances he cannot perform the contract.

In these circumstances has performance of the contract has become frustrated?

(a) Yes. If the bad weather has caused the price of available wheat to double, the contract should be treated as frustrated.

(b) No. Bad weather and price fluctuations of this sort fall within the normal commercial risks that the parties must have taken into account when contracting and the contract is not frustrated.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Page 1 2 3 4 5 6
Go to the next topic Go to the previous topic Go to the list of topics Choose another module