US asks India to relax norms for import of poultry, toys

The US has asked India to relax the guidelines on import of items like toys, wine, cosmetics and poultry products.

In its latest report, the United States Trade Representatives (USTR) yesterday said that the US would press India to revise its labelling requirements for food and distilled spirits in 2012.

It has also sought permanent exemption from the requirements that wine and distilled spirits labels include an ingredients list and disclose the date the product was manufactured.

USTR said India's Bureau of Indian Standards has proposed a "Toys and Toy Products (Compulsory Registration) Order" that would impose additional testing requirements on toys manufactured abroad.

"The proposed rule also appears to establish a new registration procedure that will require foreign toy producers to provide detailed and burdensome information related to toy manufacture," it said.

The US industry also have serious concerns regarding India's proposed Drugs and Cosmetics (Amendment) Rules, 2007.

Specifically, industry is concerned that the rules may subject imports of US drugs and cosmetics to a potentially costly and burdensome registration and licensing system.

On its poultry products, it has asked India to lift the ban as they do not pose a human health risk as is being asserted by India.

"The US maintains that the presence of paratuberculosis in dairy products does not pose a human health risk, and India should not make elimination of this bacterium a condition for issuing a sanitary export certificate for US dairy products," the USTR said.

Since 2003, it said, India has imposed unwarranted sanitary and phyto-sanitary requirements on dairy imports, which have essentially precluded US access to India's dairy market, one of the largest in the world.

"Despite repeated requests from the US, India has not provided scientific evidence to substantiate this assertion, and has declined to take into account evidence to the contrary submitted by the US," the report said.

Referring to its March 6 request for consultations with India under the dispute settlement provisions of WTO regarding import prohibitions on certain US agricultural exports, the report said that India's import prohibitions are purportedly for the purpose of preventing the entry of avian influenza.

Similarly, it said that India has imposed stringent certification requirements to import pork.

The US has requested India’s authorities to perform a risk assessment to support its restrictions on pork imports.

The US also expressed concern over the Indian regulations with regard to a number of telecommunications security regulations.