The resistant and malignant Brahma gene spreads to Europe

Three years ago we wrote of the existence of a gene passed on to AmBev by the Brazilian brewery Brahma (“Brahma gene” explains AmBev's style). The virus made it safely through the InBev stage and has now been incorporated into the DNA of Anheuser-Busch InBev (AB InBev).

For the past nine days, AB InBev workers in Belgium have been blocking the entrance to the breweries of the cities of Jupille, Leuven and Hoegaarden, preventing trucks from leaving the plants. As a result of this blockade, several supermarket chains have reported that their stock of AB InBev brands, including Jupiter, Stella and Leffe -which together make up 50 percent of Belgian beer production- have dropped to critical lows.

The conflict was sparked by AB InBev's decision to cut 263 jobs -about 10 percent of its payroll in Belgium. The excuse given is one well-known around these parts: the drop in consumption brought on by the global economic crisis. But while unemployment rates in the country have soared -with some regions, like Brussels, reaching as high as 20 percent- and even though Europe is seeing its harshest winter in decades, beer consumption has only declined by 1.9 percent.

As the conflict advances well into its second week, the judges hearing the case in the different cities have failed to agree on a common criterion. In Liège (Jupille), the judge refused to fine the workers, while the Leuven judge ordered the lifting of the blockade. Employment Minister Joëlle Milquet, for her part, said it was "unacceptable" for "a company to be so quick to fire a large number of workers even as it reports earnings."

Apparently, despite its Brazilian origin, the malignant Brahma gene is not fazed by snow or icy weather.