Carrefour apologised on Tuesday after its CEO Alexandre Bompard's criticism of South American meat last week angered Brazilian companies and caused suppliers to cut beef deliveries to the food retailer's Brazilian subsidiary.

Carrefour SA has issued a public apology to Brazil to settle a crisis with its government and farmers, after having said the company would not sell South American meat in France.

Supermarket giant Carrefour’s support for French farmers’ protests against a trade agreement between the European Union and the South American bloc Mercosur has sparked a strong reaction in Brazil, including a refusal to supply beef to Carrefour stores in Brazil.

Meatpackers JBS SA and Minerva SA are resuming beef sales to Carrefour SA in Brazil after a spat that halted supplies to stores in the South American nation, according to people familiar with the matter.

Brazil's agriculture minister on Monday threw his support behind national meat suppliers that have halted deliveries to Carrefour supermarkets in a growing row related to Mercosur trade negotiations.Brazilian media are calling the disrupted meat deliveries to Carrefour supermarkets a "boycott" and many Brazilians online have applauded it.

Europe's largest food retailer Carrefour said on Tuesday it regretted that a pledge to keep South American meat off its shelves in France was perceived as "putting in doubt its partnership with Brazilian agriculture".