The USA Poultry & Egg Export Council and the National Chicken Council have called for the World Trade Organization to begin mediating consultations with the government of India regarding India’s longstanding prohibition on the import of U.S. poultry.
According to the U.S. poultry industry, India has done little to open its borders to trade or to abide by multilateral trade rules. "If India were to open its market and to apply international rules fairly, our industry could compete effectively," said the USAPEEC and NCC in a statement. "The current Indian market for poultry is about 2.6 million metric tons annually, and is growing at 8% to 10% per year. We estimate that if trade with India were liberalized, annual U.S. poultry exports could exceed $300 million."
Currently, India has a ban on poultry imports from any country that has reported any incident of avian influenza, irrespective of its pathogenicity, a move the USAPEEC and NCC say is inconsistent with accepted international standards. “U.S. broiler chicken companies and the farm families that grow broiler chickens are committed to the responsible production of food that is safe, affordable and abundant for consumers in the U.S. and around the world,” said NCC President Mike Brown. “As the middle class in India continues to expand, and the market moves more toward commercial poultry, the U.S. should be afforded the opportunity to compete fairly with our products in this growing market.”
