Question : Poultry Dispute at WTO

(a) whether the United States (US) is seeking trade sanctions against India after winning a dispute at the World Trade Organisation (WTO) regarding Indian restrictions on imports of US poultry meat, eggs and live pigs;
(b) if so, the details thereof and the strategy being adopted by India to counter their claims;
(c) whether the US has won the dispute and the WTO’s appellate body has ruled that India’s restrictions were discriminatory and based on unsubstantiated fears over bird flu; and
(d) if so, the reaction of the Government thereto along with the steps taken in this regard?

THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY (INDEPENDENT CHARGE)
(SMT. NIRMALA SITHARAMAN)

(a) to (d): In the WTO dispute DS430, the Dispute Settlement Body (DSB) ruled that India''s Avian Influenza measures were inconsistent with India’s obligations under the WTO Sanitary and Phyto-sanitary (SPS) Agreement and, therefore, recommended that India bring its measures in conformity with its obligations under the Agreement. After completion of the Reasonable Period of Time (RPT) for compliance, the United States (complainant) sought authorisation from the DSB for imposing trade sanctions against India alleging non-compliance of DSB ruling. Since Government of India had already issued the Compliance Notification and subsequently amended Notifications, it considers these measures as WTO compliant of the DSB ruling.

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