The Brazilian Agriculture and Livestock Confederation (CNA) announced this Tuesday (26) that it will adopt measures with the European Union against Carrefour and other French companies, after the president of the French supermarket group spoke out against Mercosur meat, questioning its quality.
According to the CNA’s legal advisor, Carlos Bastide Horbach, the entity is already in negotiations with the office that serves the confederation in Brussels to evaluate the statement from Carrefour and several other French companies.
The controversy followed a momentary boycott of Brazilian refrigerator sales to Carrefour Brasil, the country’s largest supermarket chain. This Tuesday, the situation began to return to normal, after the group’s global president apologized to the Brazilian agricultural sector for criticism made last week.
The Minister of Agriculture, Carlos Fávaro stated that, with the apology from the president of Carrefour, the episode had been overcome. But, according to him, the situation showed that whoever “offends” Brazilian agribusiness will have “a corresponding response”.
READ MORE: ‘Sorry for anything’: Carrefour retracts its views on Brazil
“We were surprised by the attitude of Carrefour and other companies that, from one moment to the next, tried to show an image that the meat we are placing in Europe is not quality meat, it does not meet European standards”, said the president of CNA, João Martins, in note.
“This is not true because Brazil has become the largest exporter in the world, we not only serve the United States, Europe, the Middle East but also China and Asian countries,” he added.
According to Horbach, statements by French companies that would have the support of the French government, contrary to a Mercosur agreement with the European Union, “may characterize a violation of the European Union’s competition protection rules”.
“For this reason, the CNA will formalize a complaint with the European Union bodies to assert economic freedom and the protection of Brazilian production in that specific market,” said the consultant.
The entity is still evaluating what measures can be taken.
In addition to the Carrefour case, a senior executive at French company Danone in France told Reuters in October that the company would no longer buy Brazilian soybeans, in contrast to that of the company in Brazil, which stated that it continues to buy the Brazilian oilseed. CNA did not mention Danone in a note.
