Poultry producers say they are 'deeply concerned' following news that Moy Park will be reducing production within Northern Ireland.
The slaughter of live birds is to be suspended at Moy Park's processing site in Ballymena, Co Antrim, which typically processes around 300,000 birds a week.
The cost and accessibility of raw materials, energy prices and labour availability have been cited as the reasons for this decision.
Moy Park, based in Northern Ireland, is one of the UK's biggest poultry meat producers.
The Ulster Farmers’ Union (UFU) said farmers were 'extremely disappointed and worried' about its announcement to pull back on production.
The union said it was the second time this had happened in less than three years, and would in turn create 'ongoing income pressures'.
UFU deputy president William Irvine said: “Poultry producers have been hit hard in recent times and they’ve been exhausting every avenue to sustain their family farm businesses.
"Moy Park has said that they aim to get the slaughtering of live birds in the Ballymena site going again in September when a major contract with Sainsbury’s will begin.
"But in the meantime, we will be liaising closely with Moy Park to ensure this is managed with minimal impact."
Mr Irvine added that increasing input costs to produce food would in turn impact consumers.
"Neither farmers or processors can produce food, meeting extra production costs, without receiving a fair return from the marketplace.
"Therefore, it’s going to have a rippling affect down the food chain.”
