German sausage makers went to court Tuesday to fight back against a record anti-trust fine for years of alleged price fixing in a sizzling scandal involving the nation's favourite food.

The Federal Cartel Office slapped a 338 million euro ($400 million) fine on a string of German sausage producers in 2014, accusing them of colluding for decades to squeeze higher prices out of meat lovers.

But the powerful industry hit back with many of the accused exploiting a legal loophole to escape the penalty, leaving just a small group of companies on the hook for a fraction of the bill.

Of the 22 firms and 33 individuals initially fined -- including big name brands Herta and Boeklunder -- just four sausage producers appeared in the Duesseldorf regional court to contest their share of the punishment -- some 22.6 million euros.