DESPITE a low yarding of pigs to start the year, several Southern Downs meat buyers headed to yesterday's sale to place their bids.

Among them was Angus Gross, a buyer for the family-owned Gross Wholesale Meats, which supplies local butchers and stores in Brisbane and the Gold Coast.

He said despite poor numbers, there was always good quality pigs at the weekly sale.

"There haven't been great yardings for the past few weeks," Mr Gross said.

"I'm just looking for good-sized pork pigs for the butchers' trade.

"Christmas generally is a busier time for us but the demand hasn't fallen away now even though numbers have dropped."

Mr Gross has been working as buyer for the business for three decades and said producing the best for his clients was an important part of the job.

"The most rewarding part of being a buyer is keeping the butchers happy with what we're producing," he said.

"It has been a challenge - with the numbers the way they are it's quite hard.

"My brother Howard looks after the cattle sales and I'll go to the sheep sale later as well.

"When we're not at sales we're sorting the beef out in the chillers and the logistics of getting the trucks to butchers."

Mr Gross said a decline in numbers may have to do with fewer piggeries operating.

"(Pig farming) probably could do with a bit of expansion," he said.

"A lot of producers have gone out of the game, why I don't know, but it's hard when they're trying to yard a lot more."