Pig-processing operations at the Glanbia plant in Edenderry, Co Offaly, will be transferred to the company's Roscrea plant in Co Tipperary, it has emerged.
A fire at the Co Offaly plant on Sunday brought operations to a halt there.
The Irish Farmers' Association (IFA) has said it has received assurances by Glanbia that the company will now increase slaughtering at its Roscrea plant by 400 extra pigs on weekdays, and to 7,200 at weekends.
Pig farmers are concerned that the closure of the factory would cause a back-up of pigs for an industry already constrained by tight production margins. They have said it is imperative that pig producers are guaranteed slaughter facilities and have called for the urgent rebuild of the Edenderry plant.
Earlier today, trade union Siptu called on Glanbia to carry out immediate safety checks at all its facilities after what it said was the second serious fire in the past five years.
The pig-meat processing plant at Edenderry was severely damaged by a fire that started shortly before 4am on Sunday. All work at the plant has been suspended and 280 workers have been put on protective notice.
No one was injured in the fire and forensic tests are being carried out to determine its cause.
A fire in May 2002 at the company's processing plant in Rooskey, Co Roscommon, resulted in the loss of 400 jobs.
Today, Glanbia management met small groups of workers to explain the company's contingency plans. Company spokeswoman Geraldine Kearney told ireland.comthese may include the use of the Roscrea plant in Co Tipperary in the short and interim period.
The workers' union was due to meet with management this afternoon
to seek guarantees about the rebuilding of the factory and redundancy payments for staff members who are not redeployed to the Tipperary plant.
Ms Kearney said workers would be paid all monies due up to the point of suspension of operations and that all farmers with pigs booked in for this week would also be paid. However, employees of the firm will then have the option to sign on to the dole until new working arrangements are put in place, she added.
Glanbia management will hold a private meeting with all 280 staff members tomorrow at 10am to outline the contingency plans in full.
Fine Gael TD for Laois Offaly Charlie Flanagan called on the Department of Social and Family Affairs and the Midland Area Health Service Executive (HSE) to immediately set up temporary offices in Edenderry to deal with the workers and families of those affected by the fire.
"Many of those working in the slaughterhouse are non-Irish nationals with little English and no knowledge of the State support system. Other catering and cleaning staff have been employed at the plant for many years and their families rely solely on the income from Glanbia," he said.
Yesterday Jim Hanley, chief executive of Glanbia Meats, said that extensive damage had been caused from the end of the production lines to the dispatch area of the plant. He said the company had a "clear plan to reinstate" the plant.
"We are looking at ways and means about how we get people back into employment as quickly as possible," he said. "We, as a company, have in excess of 50 per cent of the market, and it is our intention to maintain that, and without this plant this would be very difficult to do," he added.