April 24, 2012

US organisations had expressed their strong support for the US Trade Representatives' (USTR) action via the World Trade Organisation (WTO) to have India remove its non-tariff trade barriers for US poultry and related products.

The market potential for US poultry exports to India could exceed US$300 million annually if access was free and fair. With India's growing middle class devoting more of their discretionary income to animal protein products, US poultry should be provided an opportunity to compete for this expanded demand.

Submitted with the comments were the letters to Ambassador Ron Kirk, US Trade Representative, from 47 members of the US House of Representatives and 19 US Senators. These letters urged USTR to take the WTO dispute settlement action against India.

On March 6, 2012 USTR did, in fact, take the recommended action by notifying India that the US government was requesting official consultations on the issue. If consultations fail to resolve the issue and US poultry exports to India remain prohibited, NCC, USAPEEC, and NTF urged USTR to move quickly to the next step in the WTO dispute settlement process, that it, establish a three-person panel to hear the case and render a decision on the merits of the case. The organisations expressed their continued willingness to support USTR throughout the process and noted their appreciation for the work so far to achieve a successful outcome.