SAO PAULO (Reuters)-The Confederation of Agriculture and Livestock of Brazil (CNA) argued on Wednesday (3), in a public hearing in Washington, that the competitiveness of Brazilian agribusiness stems from “legitimate fundamentals”, such as natural resources and continuous investments in innovation.
CNA’s Director of International Relations, Sueme Mori, who participated in the hearing for Section 301 of the US Trade Law, said the entity rejects any claim that Brazilian products depend on inadequate business or environmental practices to access the US market, rebutting the charges of the process.
“Brazilian farmers operate under strict compliance norms, ensuring safety, quality and transparency to international consumers-including Americans,” she said, according to CNA’s statement.
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Section 301 of the US Trade Law allows the US executive branch to investigate commercial practices that can be considered “unfair or discriminatory.” The law also allows the application of sanctions unilaterally if irregularities are proven.
The US announced on July 15 that they would open the investigation. According to Section 301, if the US government itself concludes that there is damage, it may adopt retaliation measures against Brazil, such as even higher rates than the 50% that already reach various sectors.
Among the Brazilian products affected by tariffs are coffee and beef. Brazil is the largest exporter of both products, with the US as one of the largest markets. In the case of coffee, about one third of the total imported by the country of North America came from Brazil.
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In his speech, the CNA spokeswoman pointed out that the commercial relationship between Brazil and the USA benefits both sides.
The Brazilian government sent in mid -August a formal response to US -open investigation, saying it does not recognize the legitimacy of the US commercial representative office (USTR) to investigate commercial disputes.
The CNA had also filed, on 15 August, a demonstration with technical arguments that demonstrate the compliance and legality of the policies and practices adopted by Brazil regarding three axes questioned by the US government: “preferred tariffs”, “access to the ethanol market” and “illegal deforestation”.
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Mori stated that Brazil has a limited network of commercial agreements. In the case of the agricultural sector, only 5.5% of Brazilian exports benefit from preferred rates, and more than 90% of imports in Brazil follow the principle of “most favored nation”, ensuring equal treatment to US products.
About the ethanol market, one of the points raised in US investigation, the CNA director reported that in 2024 Brazil imported from the United States 17 times more ethanol than from India. He also said that, in relation to the environmental area, that Brazil has one of the most rigorous regulatory frameworks in the world, which requires the preservation of native vegetation on private properties.
Today, 66% of the national territory is covered by native vegetation, half of this area is preserved within private rural real estate, maintained by producers, according to data cited by the director of CNA.
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“We came to defend the producers and the Brazilian agro, highlighting the importance of the Forest Code for the country and the producer’s respect to the legislation. And we brought other evidence that the growth of the sector was made following the rules of international trade.”
