Farm Progress

US poultry wins international trade battlesUS poultry wins international trade battles

This victory will help address barriers to the Indian market for U.S. farmers.

July 21, 2015

2 Min Read
<p>India&#39;s ban on products such as poultry meat, eggs and live pigs was allegedly maintained to protect India against avian influenza.</p>

In a ruling announced June 3, a WTO appeals panel upheld a 2014 ruling that a law enacted by India in 2007 prohibiting imports of U.S. poultry and eggs violates international trade agreements.

According to a press release from the office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR), India's ban on products such as poultry meat, eggs and live pigs was allegedly maintained to protect India against avian influenza.

The WTO panel and Appellate Body overwhelmingly agreed with U.S. claims India's ban is not based on international standards or a risk assessment; India discriminates against U.S. products in favor of Indian products; India's measures are more trade restrictive than necessary because it is safe to import U.S. products meeting international standards and India's restrictions are not adapted to the characteristics of U.S. exporting regions.

This victory will help address barriers to the Indian market for U.S. farmers, the USTR release said, including those in the U.S. poultry industry in particular, and also signals to other WTO members that they must ensure that any avian influenza restrictions they impose are grounded in science and are not simply a disguise for protectionism.

U.S. poultry producers prevailed in another international trade market on June 5, when U.S. and South African negotiators announced an agreement that will end South Africa's tariffs on American poultry.

South Africa has been assessing tariffs on imports of U.S. poultry since the enactment of the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) in 2000. AGOA is scheduled to expire this year, and Sens. Johnny Isakson (R-Ga.) and Chris Koons (D-Del.) led efforts in the Senate to block its renewal unless South Africa removed the tariffs.

"Poultry farmers in Georgia, Delaware and across the country should be able to compete on a level playing field in markets around the world, but for too long, that hasn't been the case in South Africa," Isakson and Coons said in a joint press release. "This is a significant win today in our home states, and an important day for American agriculture."

AGOA was enacted to encourage development through trade with the U.S. in sub-Saharan Africa and South Africa has been by far the largest exporter of non-energy products to the U.S. under the AGOA program, selling luxury items like wine and cars to U.S. buyers. A bill to reauthorize AGOA passed the Senate in April. It included language requiring the USTR to conduct reviews of South Africa's trade practices.

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