A “significant shortage” in livestock numbers and a surge in foreign buyer-ship has been attributed to an imminent price hike in the Riverina’s red meat. 

Owner of Wagga Meat Supply Andrew Nelson anticipates a lot of consumers will make the switch to white meats and vegetarian options as beef becomes more expensive. 

“Our products are already up 15 to 20 per cent and it’s a flow on effect where the buyers and the butchers have to charge more to make a living,” he said. 

“It’s a bad time for it, mid-year, the end of the financial year – I see a lot of people straying away from red meat for the time being. 

“The bottom line is cattle numbers are very short and there’s a huge overseas demand for our local meat - it's shooting prices up.

“I think they’ll stay high moving forward, the shortage doesn’t seem to be going away any time soon.”

It comes after Monday’s record-breaking cattle sale left the industry shocked after a pen of cattle made $2172 a head. 

Cattle prices across the board have doubled over the last half-decade. 

Local frugal shopping blogger Jypsie Geppert and her family made the decision to buy marked down, cheaper meats close to their expiry because quality cuts were too expensive. 

“If you want good quality, proper value, sometimes you’ll be paying around $28 a kilogram – a lot of people can’t do that,” she said. 

“It’s just closer to the used by date and it might be fattier or lower quality, but with the prices going up you often don’t have a choice. 

“We buy what we can and share between family members, so I can see why people would take to other meats instead.” 

Lambs also busted through a five year price ceiling on Thursday to sell for their highest value since 2011, fuelling concerns its cost may soon spike.