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BRASILIA, Brazil (AP) \u2014 Supermarket giant Carrefour\u2019s support for French farmers\u2019 protests<\/a> against a trade agreement between the European Union and the South American bloc Mercosur has sparked a strong reaction in Brazil, including a refusal to supply beef to Carrefour stores in Brazil.<\/p>\n Carrefour CEO Alexandre Bompard announced in social media posts last week that the French company would stop buying beef from all Mercosur countries, which also include Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay. Bompard wrote that he agrees with French producers’ arguments that Mercosur beef is an unfair competitor due to lower production costs resulting from fewer environmental and sanitary requirements.<\/p>\n The executive encouraged other retailers to follow suit.<\/p>\n See for yourself \u2014 The Yodel is the go-to source for daily news, entertainment and feel-good stories.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n Brazil’s Ministry of Agriculture called Bompard’s move protectionist, saying it was made \u201cwithout any technical criteria.\u201d<\/p>\n The decision also angered Brazil’s meatpackers. Though France makes up just a tiny sliver of Brazil\u2019s beef exports, meatpackers worried that Carrefour\u2019s decision would hurt its reputation in other markets.<\/p>\n Beef giants JBS<\/a> and Marfrig halted supplies last Friday to Carrefour’s extensive supermarket chain in Brazil, including the food warehouse giant Atacadao. Both companies refused to comment on the boycott to The Associated Press, but Minister of Agriculture Carlos F\u00e1varo confirmed it.<\/p>\n \u201cWe support the reaction of the meatpackers. If Brazil\u00b4s beef isn\u2019t good enough for Carrefour\u2019s shelves in France, it isn\u2019t good enough for Carrefour\u2019s shelves in Brazil either,\u201d Fav\u00e1ro told Folha de S.Paulo newspaper on Monday.<\/p>\n Carrefour Group in Brazil acknowledged the boycott in a statement, though it said there’s not yet a shortage of beef in stores. It said it has \u201cesteem and confidence in the Brazilian agricultural sector, with which it maintains a solid relationship and partnership.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cUnfortunately, the decision to suspend the meat supply has an impact on customers, especially those who rely on the company to supply their homes with quality and responsible products,\u201d the statement said. \u201cIt is in constant dialogue in search of solutions that will make it possible to resume the supply of meat to its stores as quickly as possible, respecting the commitments it has to its more than 130,000 Brazilian employees and millions of Brazilian customers countrywide.\u201d<\/p>\n The backdrop for the conflict is the EU-Mercosur trade deal<\/a>, which would increase agricultural imports to EU countries from South America. French farmers fear it will affect their livelihoods. An initial agreement was reached in 2019, but negotiations have faltered since then due to opposition that also includes some European governments.<\/p>\n Brazil\u2019s agribusiness sector also fears that the pending European Union Deforestation Regulation<\/a> will outlaw the sale of forest-derived products within the EU\u2019s 27-nation bloc if companies can\u2019t prove their goods are not linked to deforestation. Its scope includes soy and cattle, Brazil\u2019s top agricultural exports. Almost half of the country\u2019s cattle is raised in the Amazon region, where 90% of deforested land since 1985 has turned into pasture, according to MapBiomas, a nonprofit network. The date of its implementation remains uncertain.<\/p>\n ___<\/p>\n The Associated Press\u2019 climate and environmental coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP\u2019s standards<\/a> for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\nTrusted news and daily delights, right in your inbox<\/h4>\n