Over a dozen farmers have stormed out of an extraordinary general meeting of Greencore in Dublin, which was called to approve the sale of its malting barley division.
The farmers said they had been treated unfairly by the company, but Greencore rejected claims that the growers had been treated disrespectfully.
The malting division is set to be sold to French co-op AxéréalUnion De Coopératives in a deal worth up to €116.25m.
The Irish Farmers' Association says 50% of Ireland's 1,000 malting barley growers have had their contracts terminated by Greencore before the sell-off.
The IFA says these growers should be treated fairly and are entitled to redress.
IFA President John Bryan has said the situation has been handled very poorly by the company and has become a very divisive issue among growers.
Mr Bryan called on Greencore to address the problem now if the new owners are to have the goodwill and support of Irish farmers.
