Agriculture Minister: Macron’s remarks on Amazon harm Brazil image
Brazil’s Agriculture Minister Tereza Cristina said French President Emmanuel Macron was “opportunistic” and harmed the country’s image with his statements about the fires in the Amazon. “I think he was opportunistic. It’s a domestic problem. It does harm Brazil’s image, which isn’t so good as it is,” she said in an address at the Arab–Brazilian Chamber of Commerce today (Aug 26).
Macron had accused Brazil of not complying with international environmental agreements and gone as far as opposing the Mercosur–EU trade partnership.
During a G7 summit meeting, held in France last weekend, the fires in the rain forest were on the French president’s agenda. The leaders of all seven nations agreed to help the countries in the Amazon region tackle the problem.
“Good sense prevailed, and, at the G7 meeting yesterday, we had the support of seven countries making the right distinction between different issues,” she argued.
Commercial interests
In Tereza Cristina’s view, some countries have attacked Brazil after feeling their commercial interests undermined. “The trade relations with Europe after the signing of the Mercosur–EU deal definitely had a few countries concerned about the vigor of our agribusiness, bearing in mind the market we can take,” she stated.
Ireland and France, she went on to say, are among the most worried about the entry of Brazilian agricultural products in Europe. “Especially Ireland, during the talks, we sensed concerns about the meat, and France, where rural producers have long risen against Brazilian goods—they want to denigrate the image of our products,” she added.
Production in the Amazon, the minister said, has source certificates and is not linked to the increase in deforestation or the fires.
Funding from more economically developed countries is welcome, she noted, as long as there is no interference in domestic affairs. “If they want to protect the Amazon, they have to bring in more money to help with the preservation, not to interfere in the sovereignty of our country.”
