Bolsonaro: UK's Johnson wanted emergency food deal

Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro said on Thursday (September 23) that Britain's Boris Johnson asked him for an "emergency" deal to supply a food product that's lacking in Britain.

Bolsonaro, who met the Prime Minister in New York this week, didn't name the item in his weekly webcast and his office didn't immediately respond to a request for clarification.

“Also with Boris Johnson, during one of the conversations - he wants an emergency agreement with us to import some kind of food that is lacking in England. Inflation hit everyone after the lockdown and after some countries' shortage of food.”

The British Embassy in Brazil disputed Bolsonaro's account, saying that wasn't how it recollected the facts.

A natural gas price surge has forced some British fertilizer plants to shut in recent weeks, leading to a shortage of the CO2 used to put the fizz into beer and sodas and stun poultry and pigs before slaughter.

The British government, seeking to avert shortages, has extended emergency state support and warned food producers to prepare for a 400% rise in carbon dioxide prices.

Bolsonaro said they had also talked...whisky.

“The meeting with Boris Johnson started and he talked about whisky - what could I do to help get whisky to Brazil? Look, it's not my priority to facilitate the entry of whisky to Brazil, this is not something the government should work on, to focus on. We do not prohibit the entry of whisky to Brazil, the market regulates that, I do not want the state to participate.”

Ministers, including Johnson, have brushed aside fears there could be shortages of traditional Christmas fare such as roast turkey, though some suppliers have warned of them.