Tuesday, 27 January 2015

India Challenges WTO Panel's Ruling In The US Poultry Import Case

India has challenged the ruling of a WTO panel that holds India's ban on US poultry product imports as something inconsistent with the global norms.  India has filed an appeal in the Dispute Settlement Board of the World Trade Organization (WTO).  

"WTO Secretariat received ... a notice by India announcing its decision to appeal certain issues of law and legal interpretation in the panel report in the case ....," a WTO statement said.

A government source has also confirmed that India has gone to WTO's appellate authority against the ruling that is not in the country’s favor.

India Challenges WTO Panel's Ruling In The US Poultry Import Case

The Indian import of various agricultural products was banned in 2007 as a precautionary measure to prevent the spread of Avian Influenza. Taking a retaliatory action, the US dragged India to the WTO against the ban on US poultry products. The WTO panel ruling came on 14 October 2014 that was in favor of the US, and called the Indian move "arbitrarily and unjustifiably discriminate between Members where identical or similar conditions prevail and are applied in a manner which constitutes a disguised restriction on international trade".

The US sees India growing as one of its principal markets for the poultry products; US is the largest chicken exporter in the world. India's chicken consumption in 2014 was 3.72 million tons, and is expected to grow at a rapid speed in the times to come.    

The US has been saying that India's Avian Influenza fears are completely based on false premises, neither has it fulfilled a relevant international standard nor has a proper scientific risk assessment.

India, on the other hand, says that the WTO panel made many legal errors in its interpretation and application of numerous articles of the SPS agreement.         


The WTO has a provision for parties in a dispute to appeal against the ruling of the panel.

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