The subject of meat has strained relations between France and Brazil. The starting point of the controversy were the words of Alexandre Bompard, the CEO of the Carrefour group, who committed last week to French farmers to no longer import Brazilian meat. Tuesday, November 26, faced with the outcry from the agri-food industry in Brazil, Alexandre Bompard finally presented his “excuses“to the Brazilian government, citing problems of”communication“.
Carrefour's first decision was seen as a protectionist and political measure in Brazil. Because Alexandre Bompard's statement was addressed to the boss of the FNSEA, the majority agricultural union in France. While Brazil hosted the G20 on November 18 and 19, French farmers demonstrated against the trade agreement between the European Union and Mercosur. According to Alexandre Bompard, with the agreement, the French market would be “flooded“meat that does not correspond to”health requirements“French.
Except that the European Union represents less than 4% of Brazil's exports. France, in particular, represents 0.005% of total beef exports. Ingo Plöger, vice-president of the Brazilian Agronégoce Association, denounces a protectionist measure to satisfy French farmers. “It is not the consumer who is protesting, I think it is important to emphasize that. The one who protests is the competitor. And it's very different. So, this is an obstacle to competition“, he says.
France has been buying meat from Brazil for 40 years. The agribusiness sector immediately reacted to Alexandre Bompard's statements. 23 meat delivery companies, including the giant JBS, announced that they would suspend the delivery of meat to the Carrefour chain supermarkets in Brazil. This response was supported by the Brazilian government, notably the Minister of Agriculture. The sector does not accept the unfounded questioning of its quality, according to Ingo Plöger: “We have always met Carrefour’s criteria. These are very demanding criteria, whether from an environmental or social point of view. So what is good for the French must also be good for the Brazilians, the Uruguayans, the Argentinians and the Paraguayans. There cannot be double criteria“.
This decision directly affected the Carrefour chain in Brazil, whose shelves were lacking meat in recent days. A complicated situation for the group, which weighs heavily in Brazil. Indeed, the chain is present in several Mercosur countries, but it is in Brazil that it makes its biggest turnover. With 21 billion euros annually, Brazil is the group's second market behind France. Carrefour has been established there since 1975, and today there are 1,200 supermarkets in the country, which employ nearly 130,000 people. And it is not only Carrefour supermarkets that are affected, but also other brands in the same group, such as the low-cost version Atacadão or even Sam's Club.
Alexandre Bompard therefore quickly backed down. On Tuesday, November 26, he apologized to the Brazilian government. In a letter addressed to the Minister of Agriculture, he said he recognized “quality, compliance with standards and flavor” Brazilian meat. The meat delivery men applauded, and Carrefour Brazil announced a normalization of supply in the coming days.
