French Agriculture Minister Stephane Le Foll asked the budget ministry and social-security authorities to delay taxation of poultry farmers affected by the financial difficulties of chicken producer Doux SA.

Le Foll met with a poultry-industry task force today to discuss the situation of farmers and farms, after meeting with representatives for Doux’s 4,000 workers last week, the Agriculture Ministry wrote in an e-mailed statement today.

Doux, Europe’s largest chicken producer, was placed under court administration on June 1 by the court of Quimper in Brittany, according to the ministry. France is the European Union’s second-largest poultry exporter after the Netherlands, according to International Trade Centre data.

“I’m thinking especially of the employees who are living in an uncertain situation,” Le Foll was cited as saying.

Le Foll asked for farmers’ taxation and social-security contributions to be deferred, according to the ministry.

To contact the reporter on this story: Rudy Ruitenberg in Paris at rruitenberg@bloomberg.net

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Claudia Carpenter at ccarpenter2@bloomberg.net