According to China Post, Brazil will ask the WTO to open a dispute panel over European Union poultry regulations it considers illegal, a senior government official told Reuters last week.

"We've concluded that we have a strong case and will proceed," said Carlos Marcio Cozendey, head of the foreign ministry's department of economics.

Latin America's largest country has become a major player in international trade negotiations in recent years in line with the growing importance of its booming economy. Brazil's poultry exports are the largest in the world and generated revenues of around US$7 billion in 2008, before the financial crisis tempered global demand.