EU agriculture ministers rejected it, according to Euronews, and French Agriculture Minister, Michel Barnier, said it had nothing to do with preventing competition.

"No, it isn't protectionism," he said. "Don't mistake protection for protectionism. The Americans and the Chinese and others will just have to get used to Europeans saying that not only is our system better, but it is different and we value that difference."

The chlorine wash is a radical American way of killing bacteria, like salmonella.

But this practice is banned in the EU and an import ban on US chickens has been in place for 10 years.

Brussels was suggesting that could be lifted if the chickens were clearly labelled.