India opposes EU animal welfare proposals

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*India opposes EU proposal to include animal welfare issues in WTO talks*

*fe Bureau

**Posted: 2009-04-15 22:18:31+05:30 IST

Updated: Apr 15, 2009 at 2218 hrs IST

 

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*: India has opposed a reported move by the European Union (EU) to include

animal welfare issues in the World Trade Organisation (WTO) negotiations.

However, animal activists here, who have welcomed the EU decision, said they

would soon petition the commerce ministry asking to hear their concerns on

traders meeting out cruel treatment to animals. The activists also want

India to agree with the EU on the matter. *

 

*Reacting to reports of EU pitching for the inclusion of animal rights in

the WTO talks, official sources said these were attempts by developed

countries to block exports from developing countries using these new

standards. “These are non-tariff barriers to curb exports. It will, in turn,

throw many people out of jobs in developing countries,” an official said. *

 

*Meanwhile, animal activists in India said they would shortly meet commerce

ministry officials in this regard. “This (inclusion of animal rights in WTO

talks) is not a non-tariff barrier. International standards should be made

mandatory in India too and exporters should be asked to follow them,” said

Anjali Sharma, a lawyer and an activist with New Delhi-based NGO Citizens

for Animal Rights (CFAR). *

 

*Rishi Dev, another activist with the same NGO said they would submit to the

government a study done in this regard showing cruelty to animals in

different parts of the country. *

 

*“For instance, we found several instances of cruelty towards animals in

Kerala. But the government did not take any action. Only when our campaign

asking international tourists to boycott Kerala resulted in a drop in number

of tourists to the state, did the state government listen to us and promised

to take action,” Dev said. *

 

*“Similarly, our study on domestic pharmaceutical majors funding tests that

resulted in cruel treatment towards animals, will be an eye-opener for the

commerce ministry,” he added. *

 

*Inclusion of animal welfare standards in WTO agenda will improve the

appalling condition of slaughter houses in the country, he said, adding

India should take the lead in promoting animal welfare. Animal welfare

concerns are being increasingly recognised in food production around the

world. They must be formalised within the WTO trade agreements, according to

several representatives of the EU who spoke at a recent Brussels conference

on Global Trade and Farm Animal Welfare. According to them, formal

recognition of animal welfare standards within binding WTO agreements would

result in unlocking the UN and World Bank resources, needed to help the

developing world raise its animal...* welfare levels.

 

*Of rights and wrongs *

 

*• Officials says these are attempts by developed countries to block exports

from the developing world using these new standards. It will throw many

people out of jobs *

 

*• While animal rights organisations say international standards should be

made mandatory in India too and exporters should be asked to follow them.

Inclusion of such standards will improve the appalling condition of

slaughter houses in the country *

 

*• Animal welfare concerns are being increasingly recognised around the

world. They must be formalised within the WTO trade agreements, said EU

senior representatives at Brussels conference on Global Trade and Farm

Animal Welfare*