The federal government criticized French retailer Carrefour after its chief executive promised to keep South American beef off the chain’s shelves in France in solidarity with the country’s livestock sector, calling the comments part of a wider effort to undermine a deal trade between Mercosur and the European Union.
Agriculture Minister Carlos Favaro said that Carrefour’s promise is part of an “orchestrated action” by French companies to sabotage the trade pact between the European Union and Mercosur, which authorities intend to finalize this year.
In a social media post addressed to leaders of France’s agricultural lobbies on Wednesday, Carrefour chief executive Alexandre Bompard said the EU-Mercosur deal presents “the risk of meat production spilling over into the French market, leaving meet your requirements and standards.”
“Carrefour wants to form a united front with the agricultural world and today is pledging not to sell any meat from Mercosur,” he added.
Carrefour representatives told Reuters that the retailer does not currently sell Mercosur meat in France. The company did not respond to questions about supply to its stores elsewhere in Europe.
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The Brazilian Association of Meat Exporting Industries (Abiec), which represents beef suppliers including JBS, Marfrig and Minerva, called the Carrefour president’s promise “contradictory”, as Carrefour Brasil operates 1,200 stores in the country, selling mainly Brazilian beef.
“It seems to me that they are trying to find some pretext for France not to sign…the finalization of the Mercosur-European Union agreement,” said Favaro.
At the end of October, Aprosoja Brasil, an entity that represents farmers in the country, stated that there are “plenty of reasons” for Brazilian rural producers to boycott Danone after a senior executive from the French company said that the multinational no longer buys the oilseed in the country.
In a separate statement, the Ministry of Agriculture said Brazil’s strict controls have made the country the largest exporter of beef and poultry in the world, selling to 160 countries and meeting the most stringent standards, including those of the EU.
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Conrado Ferber, director of the National Meat Institute of Uruguay, said that Carrefour’s position is “regrettable” and “commercially incomprehensible” because it disregards the basis of free trade that allows economies to grow.
In a statement to Reuters this Thursday (21), Carrefour clarified that the executive president’s comments only apply to stores in France and are not related to the quality of Mercosur meat, but rather to the concerns of the French agricultural sector.
Carrefour said that the company’s units in all other countries where the group is present, including Brazil and Argentina, can continue to buy meat from Mercosur.
