Brazil May Retaliate Against Countries Boycotting Brazilian Products

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – Minister of the Office of Institutional Security (GSI), General Augusto Heleno said yesterday that Brazil may retaliate against countries that adopt policies to boycott local products over environmental issues.

“Retaliation is a measure that may obviously be considered by the Brazilian government, but there’s just one thing: “Have you ever bought something Finnish, Norwegian, Swedish? I don’t remember having these products in my house”, said the general, in an interview to Bandeirantes Radio.

A radio journalist interrupted the Minister to state that German-origin products are easily found in Brazil.

“There are many things from Germany. This is a very worthwhile country, but I don’t want to mention countries, I’m very afraid of causing a diplomatic situation and being unfair”, said the Minister, one of President Jair Bolsonaro’s right-hand men.

Germany, along with France, Denmark, Italy, Belgium, Netherlands, Norway, and the United Kingdom sent a letter to Vice-President, Hamilton Mourão last week warning about the potential impacts of forest degradation on trade issues.

The document sent by these countries’ embassies emphasizes that while “European efforts seek supply chains not tied to deforestation, the current trend in Brazil makes it increasingly difficult for companies and investors to meet their environmental, social and governance standards.”

Heleno’s statements were given yesterday, shortly before Bolsonaro’s opening speech at the 75th session of the United Nations (UN) General Assembly, where he stated that his government is the victim of a “brutal disinformation campaign over the Amazon”.

On Monday, the GSI Minister had already accused other countries’ governments and foreign dignitaries of lying about the devastation of the Amazon with the intention of overthrowing Jair Bolsonaro.

“We cannot accept and encourage that foreign nations, organizations, and public figures, lacking a past that allows them moral authority, to criticize us, to succeed in their main goal, obviously covert, but evident to the less naive, which is to undermine Brazil and overthrow the Bolsonaro government,” said Heleno, a reserve Army general.

The statement was made during an unprecedented online public hearing called by the Supreme Court to discuss the current executive’s environmental policy, in particular the lack of actions to mitigate the climate crisis, and during which several officials made statements.

The GSI Minister used his intervention to refer to the pressure Brazil has been under in recent weeks due to the fires in the Amazon, the largest tropical forest on the planet, by governments, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), international banks, and even by Brazilian companies.

Also on Monday, several NGOs launched a campaign to boycott meat that the European Union imports from Brazil, alleging that producers are promoting Amazon deforestation to increase their grazing areas.

French President Emmanuel Macron reiterated on Friday his rejection to the ratification of the free trade agreement between the European Union and Mercosur (economic bloc comprising Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay, and Paraguay), for environmental issues, among which he mentioned a failed environmental policy in light of the destruction of the Amazon.