Darlington Farmers Auction Mart held their weekly sale of prime stock on Thursday 22nd October 2026. Forward were 268 cattle and 1767 sheep.
132 Prime Bulls sold to 421ppk or £3510
28 Prime Steers sold to 454ppk or £3034
105 Prime Heifers sold to 498ppk or £3248
3 Cast Cows sold to 170ppk or £1195
1648 Prime Lambs sold to 397ppk or £209
119 Cast Ewes/Rams sold to £288
Prime Bulls (132) – Numbers good, keep them coming, a very two-tier show with some stunners at the top which were joined by anything and everything further down the rankings; trade just a shade easier for all classes on the week but still respectable to average 359ppk and £2629. Thirty-two bulls sold over £3000 and twenty-six sold over 400ppk. A magnificent run of homebred bulls from Renton Highlaws Ltd, Morpeth grabbed the top three prices per kilo, the pick of them was a 770kg Limousin which sold at 421 pence. Following the reliable Renton’s closely were several vendors, local feeders AG Watson & Sons, JA Matten & Sons and GK, KN & GJ Hird were in the mix along with a strong Scottish contingency including WM Fleming and the firm of Messrs Trotter. Thirsk based JA Matten & Sons, Avenue Grange emulated the Renton’s when they claimed the top three spots on the gross value leaderboard; the pick of the pen a superb 869kg Limousin sold for £3510. A couple of thumping bulls from WA Richardson Ltd, Hutton Fields followed the Matten machines to top at £3283. Native breed bulls sold to a top of £2590 from W Denham, Dent Gate with a pure Beef Shorthorn or to 351ppk for an Aberdeenshire fed Aberdeen Angus down from P & E Roger, Echt. Fine feeding headed the Friesian trade as MA & PD Foster, Smithy House topped per kilo at 333 pence and JC & A Hutchinson, Featherhill led the prices in the lump achieving £2258.
Leading Averages Per Kilo
Renton Highlaws sold 7 averaged 406ppk (778kg)
Messrs Trotter sold 3 averaged 406ppk (680kg)
JA Matten & Sons sold 3 averaged 403ppk (840kg)
WM Fleming sold 8 averaged 403ppk (743kg)
AG Watson & Sons sold 4 averaged 401ppk (768kg)
Robert Neill & Partners sold 3 averaged 400ppk (762kg)
Leading Averages Per Head
JA Matten & Sons sold 3 averaged £3393 (840kg)
WA Richardson Ltd sold 4 averaged £3265 (857kg)
Renton Highlaws sold 7 averaged £3168 (778kg)
AG Watson & Sons sold 4 averaged £3083 (768kg)
Robert Neill & Partners sold 3 averaged £3052 (762kg)
TW Clark & Son sold 2 averaged £3038 (795kg)
WM Fleming sold 8 averaged £3002 (743kg)
Continental Bulls Top Per Kilo
421 417 414 413 404 401 Renton Highlaws Ltd. 413 409 408 AG Watson & Sons. 412 410(x2) 409 406 401 397 WM Fleming. 412 408 GK, KN & GJ Hird. 410 404 397 JA Matten & Sons. 409 407 J Layfield. 409 405(x2) Messrs Trotter. 406 399 397 Robert Neill & Partners. 401 394 PI Harker. 398 JC Johnson. 394 Foxton Livestock.
Native Breed Bulls Top Per Kilo
351 P & E Roger. 350 332 321 312 Charles Millar. 348 346 R Hall & Son. 346 JC & P Tallentire. 340 GS Dowson. 315 313 JA & A Herbert.
Friesian Bulls Top Per Kilo
333 327 318 MA & PD Foster. 329 R Hall & Son. 326 312 GS Dowson. 318 315 GW Dobson & Son. 304 JC & A Hutchinson.
Continental Bulls Top Gross Value
£3510 £3337 £3330 JA Matten & Sons. £3283 £3279 £3264 £3225 WA Richardson Ltd. £3272 £3245 £3241 £3233 £3127 £3098 Renton Highlaws Ltd. £3271 £3226 J Layfield. £3254 £3180 AG Watson & Sons. £3159 Foxton Livestock. £3101 £3051 £3042 £3034 £3033 £3019 WM Fleming. £3080 £3040 £3037 Robert Neill & Partners. £3070 AJ Marr & Son. £3068 £3009 TW Clark & Son. £3040 £2990 GK, KN & GJ Hird. £3017 T Hill & R Wright Ltd.
Native Breed Bulls Top Gross Value
£2590 W Denham. £2366 £2331 R Hall & Son. £2350 £2202 £2130 Charles Millar. £2276 £2265 E Scott. £2264 GS Dowson.
Friesian Bulls Top Gross Value
£2258 £2041 JC & A Hutchinson. £2241 £2195 GW Dobson & Son. £2197 R Hall & Son. £2168 £2117 £2038 MA & PD Foster. £1933 £1909 GS Dowson.
Clean Cattle (133) – Butchers shop types lifted again, commercial R and O grades stood on from last week. Vendors in attendance from far and wide as customers from all corners provided our dedicated ringside of independent butchers and wholesalers a wide variety of cattle to pick amongst. Plenty of weight on offer today saw a tremendous thirteen sell over £3000 plus twenty more sell over £2800. The handy weight butcher’s beast demanded a great premium as the top thirty sold over 440ppk, head of the pile at a tremendous 498ppk was a delightful 568kg Limousin heifer from R Hirst, Neasham Grange which sold to H Taylor & Sons Butchers, Darlington. Another bound for the Taylor’s butchery was a super smart 577kg Limousin from W Miller, High Aketon which sold for 496ppk. The hot Hirst’s and the motoring Miller traded blows again at 494ppk and 480ppk respectively ahead of a pair of flying Scotsmen when both WM Fleming, Moss Tower and WA Fettes, Braes of Enzie sold heifers at 478ppk. Top of the steers per kilo was a tremendous 588kg Limousin from RD Anderson, Middleham when he sold for 454ppk; Taylor Bros of Richmond followed thrice in the 440’s as did a tidy sort from P & K Brannen, Penrith. Some tremendous gross values, thanks in no small way to the welcome visitors from North of the border; Messrs WA Fettes down from Aberdeenshire enjoyed the best of it with three heifers passing £3200 and four more over £3000. The Kelso based firm of Messrs Trotter, Hoselaw Farm produced a super heifer at £3214 whilst Caldwell based producers W Swinbank & Sons, Greystones held up the local heifer charge selling three times over £3000. Top of the steers in the lump was a hefty sort from TN Callender, Ox Eye Farm at £3034 which was duly followed by a good type of British Blue from WA Stephenson, Crawleas at £3003. The heifers averaged a pleasing 412ppk and £2574 whilst an eclectic mix of steers at 365ppk and £2429 certainly look down on paper but in reality, they sold at very similar levels.
Leading Averages Per Kilo
W Miller sold 8 averaged 459ppk (570kg)
WM Fleming sold 2 averaged 457ppk (648kg)
R Hirst sold 8 averaged 447ppk (577kg)
RD Anderson sold 2 averaged 445ppk (612kg)
JV & JA Hodgson sold 6 averaged 441ppk (611kg)
Leading Averages Per Head
Messrs WA Fettes sold 18 averaged £2997 (711kg)
WM Fleming sold 2 averaged £2968 (648kg)
W Swinbank & Sons sold 5 averaged £2951 (691kg)
TN Callender sold 2 averaged £2849 (797kg)
Top Steers Per Kilo
454 438 RD Anderson. 449 448 441 400 Taylor Bros. 443 P & K Brannen. 409 Messrs WA Fettes. 386 358 WA Stephenson. 383 TJ Dennis. 363 351 TN Callender.
Top Heifers Per Kilo
498 494 443 441 438 R Hirst. 496 480 476 456 444 442 441 438 W Miller. 478 439 WM Fleming. 478 464 448 447 445 440 Messrs WA Fettes. 466 449 443 440 437 JV & JA Hodgson. 462 WF Hustwit. 458 440 N White. 447 Foxton Livestock. 438 436 W Swinbank & Sons. 437 A Swinbank & Son.
Lead Grossing Steers £3034 £2664 TN Callender. £3003 £2513 WA Stephenson. £2969 Messrs WA Fettes. £2952 TJ Dennis. £2785 £2669 RD Anderson. £2716 £2679 £2599 £2340 Taylor Bros. £2547 P&K Brannen. £2320 £2251 £2192 £2179 £2122 £2092 £2085 FS Sturrock & Sons.
Lead Grossing Heifers £3248 £3236 £3235 £3191 £3062 £3030 £3018 £2986 £2972 £2952 £2931 £2909 £2908 Messrs WA Fettes. £3214 £2902 £2886 £2748 Messrs Trotter. £3105 £3043 £3017 £2822 W Swinbank & Sons. £2994 £2842 JV&JA Hodgson. £2992 £2909 WM Fleming. £2842 Foxton Livestock. £2830 TJ Dennis. £2828 £2746 R Hirst. £2751 P Langstaff. £2740 £2707 W Miller.
Prime Lambs (1648) – The riots in France haven’t helped the lamb trade this week with some uncertainty around the export trade; thus said, trade sharp in DfAM again this week as all classes were keenly bid for and some superstars and super heavies were certainly stacking up very nicely indeed. The sale averaged a weighed straight 330ppk and £159 with an SQQ of 343ppk. Top price per kilo went to sixteen superb clipped 45 kg Texel lambs from R Atkinson, High Greenbury Farm when they sold for 397ppk (£179). Plenty of the best bred and best fed sheep sold 360-390ppk throughout. Thirteen thumping 61kg lambs from Cole Hill Farm, Elwick led the gross values when they sold for £209 apiece. A couple of other vendors did manage to climb to £200, namely the famous Fishburn philanthropist Ian Curry along with W Ramsay & Sons, Blakeley Hill and J Hird, Thorney Close. The bigger and better lambs sold consistently £170 to £200 throughout the sale, well-bred handier weights typically £150 to £170 and Mule lambs sold to a top of £163 (55kg).
Lead Grossing Averages:
Cole Hill Farm Ltd sold 40 (59kg) average £199
W Ramsay & Sons sold 16 (48kg) average £178
R Atkinson sold 70 (47kg) average £176
J&S Barnes sold 22 (51kg) average £176
Lambs – Top prices ppk 397 393 372 R Atkinson. 387 379 369 359 W Ramsay & Sons. 385 K&M Elders & Son. 380 366 W.K M.M Lamb. 373 J Davis. 372 K&PM Lough. 371 360 DJ&D Schofield & Son. 369×2 367 365 AWSM Farms. 366 365 363 360 R Errington & Son. 365 LD Laws. 363 ABP Wilsons. 363 WA Wardman Ltd. 362 TN Callender. 361 J&S Barnes. 361 360 CK&D Muir Ltd. 361 CH&MC Phalp. 360 D&AM Bayles.
Lead Grossing Lambs £209 £208 £193 £191×2 £172 Cole Hill Farm Ltd. £208 I Curry. £200 £182 £178 £176 £174 W Ramsay & Sons. £200 J Hird. £182 £180×2 £176 J&S Barnes. £182 JE Suddes & Son. £181 £179×2 £174 £172 R Atkinson. £181 £180 D&PH Brown. £180 J Murray. £180 JR Knox & Son. £178 £177 G Thompson & Sons. £178 £171 DJ&D Schofield & Son. £177 £171 W.K M.M Lamb. £173 J Davis
Cast Ewes & Rams (119) For those of us who remember the abysmal autumns of yesteryear in the nation’s ewe rings this trade really is remarkable. Thankfully, gone are the days where the ewes are a by-product, they are now an essential part of the farm’s income, backed up by todays average of £144 per head. Topping the market at £288 was W Denham Dent Gate for a single continental ewe bought by Pak Mecca Meats Ltd.
Lead Grossing Cast Sheep £288 £250 £190×2 W Denham. £242 £236 £176 £170 Hamish Barker. £222 £130 JGM Brown & Co. £220 £142 D Chapman. £220 Gripps Farm Ltd. £218 £184 WA Wardman Ltd. £215 P Foster. £205 £202 Petch Farms. £200 D&HM Hodgson. £192 JH Johnson. £172×2 W.K M.M Lamb. £170 £140 L&S Barker. £167 K&M Elders & Son. £160 M Hutchinson. £160 TB Walton.
