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He said farms that supply poultry firms with chickens faced cost increases of up to 20pc in items such as feed, wood shavings and disinfectant, while wages for lorry drivers are shooting up owing to competition among businesses for transport.

On top of this, Mr Boparan said energy costs had surged as well.

He claimed that at his firm’s 600 farms and 16 factories, which employ 18,000 staff, power bills had risen by as much as 550pc.

Packaging costs have also climbed 20pc higher, and the cost of carbon dioxide – used for packaging and processing – is up by as much as 500pc following shortages last month.