Your favourite Christmas Day beer could become pricier thanks to the floods on Australia’s east coast, according to one industry leader.

NSW Farmers Grains Committee chair Justin Everitt said that crops such as barley have been inundated with rain, and equipment such as tractors have been bogged down as a result. Many roads have also been blocked due to the downpours.

“Barley might be the one where people buying their beer might find it a lot more – the price for barley has gone up for quite some time,” Mr Everitt told The Daily Telegraph. “So that’s probably where you will see an increase in beer prices. Once the breweries’ costs increase… they’ll pass those costs to the consumer.”

He added that supply for some impacted crops would likely come from other states in Australia.

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However, farmers who have lost the bulk of their 2022 crops said it is a matter of time before consumers will see a spike at the supermarket register.

But, news.com.au understands from a beer industry insider that breweries are confident they have the barley they need to continue producing in time for Christmas. The insider said while they understand some farmers are doing it tough due to the floods, their barley sources are well in hand.

Australians currently pay the fourth highest tax on beer in the world, plus Goods and Services Tax.

The biggest tax increase in three decades on beer was handed down by the government in August with the Brewers’ Association of Australian warning pints in pubs could cost up to $15.

This article originally appeared on news.com.au. It has been reproduced here with permission.

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