The reason is the drought that has hit farmers in North West, the Free State, Namibia and Botswana.
Gerhard Schutte, chief executive of the Red Meat Producers' Association, said farmers were slaughtering livestock in large numbers so that they don't die of starvation.
"As a result, the price of red meat, especially beef, might drop in the next few weeks," he said. But he warned that, if the drought continued past Christmas, the situation would be precarious.
"When that supply drops, prices will definitely go up and hit the consumers pockets hard," he said.
Schutte said red meat farmers were experiencing the worst drought in 30 years.
Shoprite-Checkers spokesman Sarita van Wyk said: "We have no information that a meat shortage is to be expected in the near future. The demand for red meat is usually higher at this time of year so price increases can be expected."
Woolworths said it had not had shortages and its suppliers were delivering as usual.
Ian Crook, general manager of butcheries at Pick n Pay, said his group was not experiencing a shortage of supply.
"We are aware of serious drought conditions in the north of the country, which might have an effect on supply at a later stage. At the moment though, we are trading as normal," Crook said.
But Northern Cape Red Meat Producers' Organisation chairman John Faber, a cattle farmer, said that if the drought persisted, it would "ead to a serious shortage of red meat.
"In five months there will be no lamb on the market," he said. "The situation is so bad that natural feed has been exhausted and farmers cannot afford to buy feed," he said.
Source: Sunday World via I-Net Bridge
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