Brazil, India and other developing countries say the new US farm bill will be an obstacle to global trade talks aimed at lifting millions worldwide out of poverty.

A group of 20 leading developing nations also including China, Mexico and Argentina are echoing criticism by WTO chief Pascal Lamy, who last week said the new US farm bill sent a bad signal to the world while talks on a new global trade deal were continuing.

The emerging countries said that the "new bill heads agriculture policies in the wrong direction at a decisive juncture of the WTO Doha Round," referring to the trade talks, which started seven years ago in the Qatari capital of Doha.

The US Congress last month passed a bill that provides new and bigger subsidies to US farmers and more food stamps to help the poor buy food as grocery prices rise.