Darlington's 130-year-old cattle market is under threat after residents complained it is too noisy.
The town council has issued a noise abatement notice, banning late and early deliveries of animals.
Darlington Farmers Auction Market Ltd (DfAM) says the restrictions will make it impossible for cattle sold to reach abattoirs on the same day.
But a council spokeswoman said the market was in a residential area and some locals were unhappy about noise.
DfAM has appealed against the notice, which says the market must cease the delivery and collection of animals between 9pm and 7am.
Spokesman Neil Mudie said that for the past 50 years cattle have been delivered to the site at Clifton Road in Darlington town centre at about 5am, allowing the animals to be checked in and logged before the sales start.
He said: "The cattle sold at Thursday's sales would leave the market too late to reach the abattoirs the same day.
'Animal noise'
"Neither the abattoirs nor the market have the facilities to hold the animals overnight and so farmers would move away from the Darlington mart and be forced to travel further afield to sell their cattle."
The noise abatement notice, issued in January under the Environmental Protection Act 1990, said the sound arose from impact noise, shouting and vehicle and animal noise associated with the collection and delivery of animals.
A Darlington Council spokeswoman said: "We had a resident complaining about the noise. They said they were woken up at 4.30am by the market.
"We sent an environmental health officer out to see what the noise was like at that time. It was deemed on that visit to be a statutory nuisance."
The case will be heard by Darlington magistrates on Wednesday, and is expected to last two days.
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