Shrimp - Turtle case at WTO
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Transcript of Shrimp - Turtle case at WTO
Shrimp-Turtle A Case For Developing Countries
Group 6:Alisha SukhijaArnab MoitraKamaldeep SinghParitosh SainiSanchit GuptaSumit Kumar Jain
(a)
• Why Did US Demand TED?• TED – Alternative
(b)
• Where US flouted rules• Other such cases
(c)
• Defense by Developing Countries• WTO Rulings & Implications
(d)
• Conclusion
Agenda
1973 Endangered Species Act is approved
1987 Voluntary guidelines are issued for including turtle exclusionary devices
1989 & 1991
Legislation is negotiated to protect all sea turtles in American waters, including Central America and the Caribbean.
1996A full prohibition of all shrimp from any country that does not have sufficient precautions and regulatory measures
The Past…
The Problem
Solution to the problem by USTED systems
Setback for developing countries
Requirements Expensive and they will have to compromise on the cost / comparative advantage Time difference in implementation (implementation to be done within 4 months)
Preferential treatment for some countries (ACP countries the main beneficiary)
Apart from TED, the US did not accept alternative methods of ensuring lower mortality for turtles
India
Five of the seven species found in Indian coastal waters
The turtle considered an incarnation of Lord Vishnu
Indian Wildlife Protection Act (1972), Signatory of CITES since 1976
Orissa banned fishing, created sanctuaries, CMFRI operated a hatchery for sea turtles in Madras
Malaysia (1/2)
Used hand retrieval nets
Sabah and Sarawak – Mating and Nesting areas
Active enforcing of fishery laws by the Department of Fisheries
Laws in place from 1932 (against killing of turtles), 1988 (Import / Export Prohibition)
The use of TED alone
could not absolutely ensure
the survival
of turtles
Malaysia (2/2)
Pakistan
Culture - sinful to kill sea turtles
1950 - the Imports and Exports (Control) Act to protect endangered species
Sindh Wildlife Department engaged in protection programs in conjunction with WWF and IUCN
Unacceptable interference in policies
within Pakistan's sovereign
jurisdiction
Thailand
1947 - the Fisheries Act prohibiting the catching, harvesting or harming of any sea turtle
Extensive sea turtle restoration programs: the Department of Fisheries, the Department of Forestry, and the Royal Thai Navy
1967 to 1996, no observed sea turtle killing in connection with shrimping
Suggested in ASEAN meetings of March 1997 to draft MOU jointly for the protection and conservation of sea turtles
Is TED the only option?
Not the only and most effective device
Not a “multilateral environmental standard”
TED VS TSD
Not for larger sea turtles
Debris damaged TEDs
Increased transaction costs
Can US dictate us what to do?
Look before you leap… Brother!
Ulterior Motives for US
Our tropical shrimps
had much more
demand than the
temperate shrimps in
the US market
The Asian countries had the
comparative
advantage of
providing shrimps at lower costs than were available
domestically
Protectionist
measures – saving its domestic industry
Adhering to richer lobbyists
representing
environmental and angling
interests
Complainants
India
Articles
GATT Article XI
US Legislation
Section 609 of Endangered Species Act (ESA)
Shrimp Turtle WTO Case
Dispute Settlement Process
Advantages
The system is based on clearly-defined rules, with timetables
Adoption not by consensus but adoption by rejection of consensus
Panelists chosen in consultation with the countries in dispute
Appellate Body Member are individuals unaffiliated to any Government
Oct 8th, 1996
4 nations (India, Malaysia, Pakistan & Thailand) jointly have consultations with the
U.S.
Nov 19th, 1996 Consultations held without resolution
Jan 9th – Feb 25th , 1997
India, Malaysia, Pakistan & Thailand request DSB to
establish a panel to look into the US embargo on import of
shrimp & shrimp products
April 15th, 1997 DSB establishes 3 member panel
April 6th, 1998 Panel issues final report and ruling
July 13th, 1998 US appeals against the panel’s ruling
Oct 1998 Appellate Body gives its final report
Case Timeline
Argument by Plaintiff Nations
Embargo of shrimp and
shrimp products was against the
MFN principle of
Art I.I of GATT
Ban imposed by the US
was inconsistent with Art XI of GATT (Art XI limits the
use of import prohibitions
or restrictions)
Ban imposed by the US
was in contravention of Art XIII.I as the ban restricted
importation of like
products
Argument by United States
US measures complied with the relevant
requirement of Art
XX
Measures to protect
sea turtles -
an endangered natural resource
Complainants did
not introduce effective shrimp /
turtle policies
US is in compliance with the
“WTO Agreemen
t”
Panel Ruling: April 6th, 1998
Appellate Body recommendation and
thereafter… 1• US and parties to the dispute reached
agreement on a 13 month compliance period which ended in December 1999
2
• The US Department of State guidelines for implementing Section 609 was revised and issued after providing notice and an opportunity for public comment
3
• US to provide financial and technical assistance (training in the design, construction, installation and operation of TEDs to any government requesting it)
4
• In October 2000, Malaysia requested the re-establishment of the original panel to examine whether the United States had in fact complied with the Appellate Body findings
5
• The implementation panel ruled in favor of the United States:•Appellate Body ruling was an obligation to negotiate•United States had indeed made serious “good faith” efforts to negotiate
A few disputes at the WTO…
Source: http://www.wto.org/english/tratop_e/dispu_e/dispu_status_e.htm
Disputes at WTO & GATT
US MEXICO CASE – Dolphin Safe TunaUS EC CASE- Meat without hormones
Disputes involving the U.S.
Source: http://www.wto.org/english/tratop_e/dispu_e/dispu_maps_e.htm
“Poor countries hold 40 per cent of the world's population, but receive only 3 per cent of the world's income from trade. Rich countries make up 14 per cent of world population and yet get 75 per cent of the income from trade”
Rich countries force poorer countries to sell the same products at lower prices than rich countries, by charging exporters many times more import tax simply because they live in a poor country
Devil in disguise - Developed Countries
Few examples of unfair trade practices
Discrimination in case of Cocoa by
US and EU. Higher the
addition of value by a poor, higher
the tariffs imposition
(Germany, Britain against Ivory Coast, Ghana)
Clothing, India's second largest
export to the US, is taxed by
Washington at 19 %. Imports from
countries such as France, Japan,
and Germany are charged at
between 0-1 %
The average tax rate on
Vietnamese goods entering the US is 8 per cent. For Dutch goods it is just
1%
Developing nations in WTOAttractive opportunities due to free trade among nations
Domestic industry of developed nations faced competition
WTO has been used as a medium to enforce restrictions on the developing countries
e.g. Multi-Fibre Arrangement (MFA) for international trade in Textiles
Future of WTO - Challenges before developing nations
Source: http://www.twnside.org.sg/title/td8.htm
Subjects and pattern of negotiations have become much more complex than in the past
The attitude and approach of developed countries appear to have changed in recent years by focusing on immediate gains from current opportunitiesDeveloped countries are now more coordinated in their objectives and methods in the WTO and no longer sensitive towards the developing nations in seeking their support
Reaching the stage of recommendations and findings in the dispute settlement process has become a very costly and time-intensive procedure
The Hitch…
Is globalization a debt-trap for the developing and poor nations?
Should free trade be restricted in the name of environmental protection and to what extent?
WTO Members unilaterally adopting their own conditional market access measures - Does it not undermine the multilateral trading system?
Why can’t the consumer make the purchasing decision instead of the governments?
GLOBALIZATION
Thank You!!!