The Brazilian Confederation of Agriculture and Livestock (CNA) filed, on Wednesday (15), technical responses against an investigation opened by the United States government against Brazil. The CNA's statement was submitted to the United States Trade Representative (USTR). In March, the American government initiated an investigation against Brazil based on Section 301 of the Trade Act (US trade law) with the “objective of assessing whether the absence of a specific regime prohibiting the importation of goods produced with forced labor would constitute an unreasonable or discriminatory practice that burdens or restricts US trade”. In its statement, the CNA affirms that “the Brazilian legal system establishes a broad prohibition on work in conditions analogous to slavery, combined with active inspection, administrative and criminal accountability, and transparency mechanisms.” According to the entity, these instruments produce concrete and verifiable results in the prevention and repression of these practices. Furthermore, in the agricultural sector, “this regime is reinforced by particularly rigorous sanctions, including, at the constitutional level, the uncompensated expropriation of properties where such violations are found—a measure without parallel in other relevant jurisdictions.” The CNA also emphasizes that, from a commercial standpoint, “there is no evidence that the practices under investigation generate burdens or restrictions on trade with the United States.” “The bilateral relationship is characterized by high integration and complementarity, so that any restrictive measures would tend to also impact economic operators in the US market,” it justifies. Finally, according to the CNA, Brazil does not adopt practices that could be characterized as unreasonable or discriminatory under Section 301, “and there is no legal or economic basis for imposing restrictive measures.” “This statement also reinforces the importance of approaches based on international cooperation and regulatory dialogue to combat forced labor,” the entity concludes. Second defense – In August of last year, the CNA (National Confederation of Agriculture) had filed technical responses to the lawsuit that the United States government also initiated against what they called “unfair trade practices” allegedly carried out by Brazil. The Americans also based their case on Section 301 of the Trade Act. In September, the CNA's Director of International Relations, Sueme Mori, participated in a hearing in Washington and defended the competitiveness of Brazilian agribusiness in the international market, in addition to denying the accusations of unfair trade practices against the Americans.
This text was translated by machine from Brazilian Portuguese.