India's curb on its farm products was the US' resentment at the World Trade Organisation (WTO), saying limits on imports such as poultry and eggs are discriminatory.

India says the ban is aimed at preventing bird flu, "but it has not provided scientific evidence in line with international standards on avian-influenza control", the US Trade Representative's Office said on Tuesday in an e-mailed statement from Washington. While the US has asked India to justify the need for the ban, "India has not provided valid, scientifically based justification for the import restrictions".

Global trade rules permit members of the Geneva-based WTO to adopt regulations to protect human, animal or plant life or health. However, such measures can't be imposed to safeguard domestic industry.