New Delhi:
The US has raised concerns in a WTO’s committee on sanitary and phytosanitary measures, over a directive issued by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) with regard to animal feed, and urged for its delayed implementation. Sanitary and phytosanitary measures, under an agreement of the WTO, are related food safety and animal and plant health protection.
According to a communication of the World Trade Organization (WTO), “The US is concerned with India’s new directive on animal feed adopted on January 27, 2020, with a July 27 implementation date… We believe this measure will have a significant impact on trade in feed ingredients, and potentially on trade in meat and dairy products derived from livestock fed such ingredients in another country”. The US has alleged that India has issued these measures without proper notification or opportunity to comment.
It has also stated that a six-month period for implementation of the directive is insufficient for exporters to adjust supply chains, particularly in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. “We urge India to delay implementation of this directive until it is notified for comment and to provide a transition period sufficient to allow operators to adjust supply chains without undue disruption,” it added.
The US has requested India to clarify if this regulation will also apply to domestic farms that manufacture feed, and, if so, how Indian regulators will monitor and enforce such requirements. On January 27 this year, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India issued a direction regarding compliance of commercial feeds/feed materials intended for meat and milk-producing animals with the relevant BIS standards.
