India appeals WTO ruling on ban of US poultry

India appealed against a World Trade Organization ruling that held as “inconsistent” India’s ban on the import of poultry products from the US citing an outbreak of avian influenza.

India West reports that Commerce and Industry Minister Nirmala Sitharaman informed the Lok Sabha (House of the People of the Indian Parliament) in a written reply that the government had moved the WTO appellate body against the ruling. “India has a system in place for import of poultry products through sanitary import permits (SIP),” Sitharaman said.

Detailed risk analysis

“SIPs are granted for import of poultry products only after detailed risk analysis from the angle of human and animal safety,” the minister said in her reply. The minister said that import of poultry products are allowed from countries that are free from highly pathogenic and low pathogenic avian influenza.

“Moreover, at present, the customs duty on chicken legs has been retained at India’s bound rate of duty, which is the maximum permissible level of duty committed to the WTO,” the minister added.