The Thai government has formally requested that a disputes panel be established at the World Trade Organisation (WTO) to rule over a row with the European Union about its customs coding for frozen boneless salted chicken cuts.


In the past, they were classified as salted meat (duty rate 15.4%), but now they are classed as frozen chicken at the higher duty of €102.4 (US$117.4) per 100 kg.


Formal consultations over the issue between Brussels and Bangkok failed to solve the dispute and so the Thais now want binding arbitration to apply. It alleges that the EU is breaking commitments made in the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) in 1994.