Carrefour Brasil stated this Monday (25) that the suspension of meat supply to its network in the country is impacting its customers. The statement comes after a controversy started by the retailer’s leadership in France against Mercosur meat and which generated a reaction from local suppliers.
“Unfortunately, the decision to suspend meat supply impacts our customers, especially those who trust us to supply their homes with quality and responsible products,” Carrefour Brasil said in a statement.
The company mentioned that it is looking for “solutions that enable the resumption of meat supply in our stores as quickly as possible, respecting the commitments we have with our more than 130 thousand employees and millions of customers throughout Brazil”.
Carrefour Brasil also highlighted that “there is no shortage of meat in stores at this point”.
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Carrefour’s chief executive, Alexandre Bompard, promised last week to keep South American meat off the chain’s shelves in France. The attitude was seen by the sector in Brazil, the largest global exporter of beef, as protectionist, amid discussions for a Mercosur and European Union agreement.
France, one of the largest agricultural producers in the European bloc, is against an agreement with Mercosur, under pressure from its farmers who fear being harmed by the advance of South American crops.
At the weekend, Carrefour had classified as “unfounded” the allegation that the chain was suffering from shortages in Brazil, following news that Brazilian slaughterhouses had stopped supplying the group’s meat in the country, as a boycott of the retailer after the statement from the president of the French company.
When contacted this Monday, the Brazilian Association of Meat Exporting Industries (Abiec), one of the main entities in the sector, stated that it would not comment on the matter.
Previously, Abiec had said that Carrefour’s position in France against South American meat was “contradictory”, as the group has historically always sold meat from Brazil in its local network. After the executive’s statement, the company stated that nothing was changing in the country.
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Carrefour representatives told Reuters that the retailer does not currently sell Mercosur meat in France.
Marfrig maintained its position of not commenting on the matter, the same comment made earlier by Minerva. JBS did not immediately comment on the matter.
At 3:30 pm, shares in Carrefour Brasil, which also owns the cash and carry chain Atacadão, rose 1.8%, while rivals GPA and Assaí appreciated by 2.6% and 4.2%. The Ibovespa had a negative fluctuation of 0.06%.
