India, June 25 -- A few years ago, the EU issued directives on the use of antibiotics in the food it imports. This meant animal products, including fish, dairy and honey, produced using antibiotics as growth promoters or to increase yield would not be allowed into the bloc. It also put out a list of antibiotics, deemed critical for humans, which would be banned for veterinary use. When this was released in 2023, India was omitted from the list of countries allowed to export aquaculture and poultry products to the EU from September 2026, when the directive would come into force. This was done, according to the EU, because of lack of information and regulations on the use of antibiotics in India's food-producing sectors.

The Indian governm...