Posted October 15, 2014
India broke
several World Trade Organization (WTO) trade rules when it banned imports of American
poultry, meat, eggs and live pigs according to an article on the Des Moines
Register available here.
USA Today also published an article available here
and Reuters here.
In 2007, the
trade panel struck down an agricultural ban by India to prevent avian influenza
from making its way into the country even though the United States has not had
a case since 2004.
“India’s
ban was thinly veiled protectionism. Free and fair trade, particularly
with food, should never be used as a political bargaining chip,” said James Sumner, president of the USA
Poultry and Egg Council, and Michael Brown, president of the National Chicken
Council, according to Reuters.
India has
60 days to appeal the WTO ruling.
The ruling could increase imports of poultry and eggs from
the U.S., even though India could restrict them using other measures including,
anti-dumping duties if U.S. exporters tried to sell their products at cheap
prices.
David
Miller, director of research and commodity services for the Iowa Farm Bureau
Federation, said the decisions by the Indian government have “hurt U.S. farmers
and denied consumers the choice of buying American-made products,” according to
"Iowa and U.S. farmers want a level playing field for
international trade and we are confident that the WTO dispute resolution
process provides an avenue for that to happen," Miller said. "We want
all WTO members to abide by the rules that have been established and to avoid
using arbitrary, non-scientific claims to prevent competition."
For more information on international law and organizations,
please visit the National Agricultural Law Center’s website here.
