Singapore said that meat, eggs, and their derivatives must be imported from permitted sources in accredited countries or areas that fulfil Singapore Food Agency (SFA) requirements.
Singapore presently only allows the import of fresh eggs from authorised farms in a few countries.
Because of a lack of mutual recognition agreements (MRAs) between the two countries, India has questioned Singapore’s limits on the import of certain food commodities, such as meat and eggs, from the nation at the World Trade Organization (WTO).
“India invites Singapore to clarify the reasons for the lack of MRA with India’s regulatory agencies despite a complete free-trade agreement (FTA) that is nearly two decades old,” it said during a trade policy review of the city-refusal state’s to allow the entry of specific food goods.
Singapore said that meat, eggs, and their derivatives must be imported from certified sources in accredited countries or areas that fulfil the Singapore Food Agency’s (SFA) food safety and animal health standards and guidelines.
“Accreditation is required since these items may pose food safety issues as well as animal illnesses of public health and commercial value.” “We thank India for its attention and look forward to further discussions with our SPS competent body for food safety, the Singapore Food Agency (SFA),” the Southeast Asian country said.
“The first level involves nation accreditation, where the country is examined for regulatory control and independence from animal illnesses of significant commerce and public health concern,” according to the SFA’s accreditation system (such as foot-and-mouth disease and bovine spongiform encephalopathy).
The second level comprises individual establishment accreditation, in which the export meat processing factories’ food safety and quality programmes, as well as operational hygiene practises, are examined. “This entails submitting a documentary dossier, followed by an inspection,” Singapore stated.
Singapore presently allows fresh eggs to be imported exclusively from authorised farms in Australia, Denmark, Finland, Japan, Malaysia, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Poland, South Korea, Sweden, Thailand, Ukraine, and the United States.
Only imports of broiler chickens and ducks from accredited farms in Malaysia are permitted. Only pigs from one farm in Indonesia and one in Malaysia may be imported. “Dairy products from countries where foot-and-mouth disease is present may be imported only if they are treated in conformity with OIE criteria,” it said.
India has taken a firm stance in the face of non-tariff barriers (NTBs) imposed by its trading partners. Piyush Goyal, India’s commerce minister, has even warned reciprocal actions if some nations do not eliminate NTBs on Indian goods and services.
In October of last year, Goyal urged Asean nations to eliminate NTBs and limit the exploitation of FTAs by third parties, typically from outside the region.
“It is sad,” he says, that “we have recently had to cope with various regulatory hurdles on our exports to Asean, notably in agriculture and automobiles.” “I believe this would only result in retaliatory measures from other nations, including India, and will harm our leaders’ long-term aim to grow trade between the two countries,” Goyal said during a special session of regional trade ministers.
The India-Singapore Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement (CECA) entered into force on August 1, 2005, and the first review was completed on October 1, 2007. The CECA’s second evaluation began in May 2010 and was completed in 2018. In FY21, India exported $6.7 billion in products and imported $9.6 billion from Singapore, resulting in a $2.9 billion bilateral trade deficit.