Darlington Farmers Auction Mart held their weekly sale of cast cattle, store and breeding stock on Monday 11th May 2026. Forward were 250 cattle and 321 sheep.
60 Cast Cows/OTM sold to 338ppk or £3035
3 Stock Bulls sold to 322ppk or £3522
14 Young Bulls sold to £1800
53 Store Steers sold to £2220
120 Store Heifers sold to £2020
45 Ewes & Lambs sold to £370
20 Hoggs & Lambs sold to £360
39 Store Hoggs sold to £202
128 Feeding Ewes/Rams sold to £235
Cast Cattle – The trade looks a touch easier, maybe back 8-10ppk, this is unsurprising with the finished beef dropping but a decent show with a bit of weight about still saw them rumble along to a very nice average of 261ppk and £1797 per head. One classy cow showed a clean pair of heels to her rivals, an excellent 9-year-old Limousin from TW Clark & Son, Frankland Park Farm led the females when she sold for 338ppk and £3035. Eleven cows and heifers sold over 300ppk, made up of Beef Shorthorn’s, Friesian’s, Luing’s and Limousin’s. Phenomenal Friesian’s from SH Watson & Son, Low Fields Farm dominated the dairy breeds, heifers selling to 326ppk and 303ppk plus a tank of a cow reaching £2109. Top native breed per kilo was a smart Beef Shorthorn OTM heifer from MF Hall, Woodhill Farm at 328ppk and in the lump it was an impressive Hereford from B Cave, Whitehall Farm at £2420. Three bulls forward were made up of a classy 7-year-old Limousin from CJ & DM Metcalfe, Leighton Hall and a fleshy pair of Aberdeen Angus OTM’s from S Jackson, The Bungalow; the excellent Limousin led the way at 322ppk and £3522.
Cast Cows – Top prices ppk 338 322 278 TW Clark & Son. 328 322 MF Hall. 326 303 SH Watson & Son. 318 272 T&DI Allen & Son. 312 302 B Watson. 306 300 272 Taylor Bros. 292 TT Hall & Son. 288 D Clemitson. 286 WR Thompson. 280 Northfield Farms. 280 JRP Vickers & Sons. 280 GW Dobson & Son. 278 276 264 250 258 B Cave. 272 T&R Quinn & Son. 271 R Errington & Son. 268 J&K Woodward. 266 J Bennison.
Lead Grossing Cast Cows £3035 £2398 £1929 TW Clark & Son. £2420 £2033 £2009 £1779 B Cave. £2309 £2102 £1944 RL Walker. £2298 GW Dobson & Son. £2263 T&R Quinn & Son. £2259 WR Thompson. £2177 £2096 MF Hall. £2132 £2006 B Watson. £2109 £2076 £1860 SH Watson & Son. £2090 D Clemitson. £2072 JRP Vickers & Sons. £2062 £1988 £1947 Taylor Bros. £2044 J Bennison. £2014 TT Hall & Son.
Cast Bulls – Top prices ppk 322 CJ&DM Metcalfe. 300 266 S Jackson.
Lead Grossing Cast Bulls £3522 CJ&DM Metcalfe. £2521 £2496 S Jackson.
Store Cattle – Despite the trepidation surrounding the beef trade we still saw a very active ringside of buyers assemble. Arguably some goods are a touch easier but on the flip side some would look every bit as good as they have done in previous weeks. Topping the day at £2220 was a thumping Aberdeen Angus steer from D & M Scott, Redesmouth Farm, Bellingham. Selling at £2020 was a shapely 13-month-old British Blue steer from I Newton & Son, Gibbet Hill Farm just ahead of our top heifer, a 16-month-old Limousin from RN Foord & Son, Hill Top Farm. Grass bound stores are still selling well without reaching the dizzy heights of March and early April, top of a dairy inspired offering of young bulls were a pair of 16-month-old British Blue crosses from Wilkinson & Son, Carrsides Farm at £1800.
Store Bulls £1800×2 £1740×2 £1700×2 Wilkinson & Son. £1540×2 WH Smith & Sons. £1500 T&R Quinn & Son. £910 £880×2 £840×2 K&T Wilson.
Store Steers £2220 £2000 £1970 D&M Scott. £2040 I Newton. £2030×2 £1950 RN Foord & Son. £1920 £1730 K&T Wilson. £1890 G&EM Nixon. £1830 D Walker. £1820 £1770×2 £1730 GT&MA Wearmouth. £1800 KW MJ&SW Ward. £1800 R Potts. £1770 C&M Burnett. £1750 AP&E Proctor. £1730×4 R&W Todd. £1700 PT Stephenson. £1690×2 W&J Herbert. £1660 £1580 D Walker. £1660 WA Wardman Ltd. £1650 Springhill Partnership.
Store Heifers £2020 £1890 £1700 RN Foord & Son. £1920 £1790 £1780×2 K&T Wilson. £1910 £1720 KM MJ&SW Ward. £1910 £1870×2 £1800 £1790×2 £1700×3 Wilkinson & Son. £1860 £1680×2 R White. £1760×4 W&J Herbert. £1750 AP&E Proctor. £1730 S&RT Lowson. £1720 Springhill Partnership. £1680 £1650 WA Wardman Ltd. £1670×2 W Wearmouth & Son. £1670×2 D Walker. £1650 I Newton & Son.
Breeding Sheep – The very lively trade continues, this week the ewes and lambs averaged £107.67 per life and the red hot hoggs and lambs £177.50 per life. Top of the ewe trade at £370 were three nice Dutch Spotted ewes with twins from CM & TF Seymour, Dromonby Farm; the same good home followed with two other pens at £365. James Burns, Coquet Close led the trade for Mule ewes with twins at £330. Twenty lovely North of England Mule hoggs with single lambs at foot from HS Hutchinson, White House Farm looked very well sold when the pens of ten sold for £360 and £350; many more hoggs and lambs can be sold weekly to fulfil buyer demand.
Ewes & Lambs:
D.S.S – £370 £365×2 £300×2 £265 CM&TF Seymour.
Mule – £330 £220×2 J Burns. £295 M Whorlton. £185 CG Barraclough.
Continental – £260 J Wigham. £240 J Burns.
Cheviot – £240 J Wigham. £220 J Burns.
Hoggs & Lambs:
Mule – £360 £350 HS Hutchinson.
Store Sheep – The mesmeric feeding sheep trade shows no signs of slowing, a plainer show of hoggs averaged £143.74 whilst a nice offering of feeding ewes levelled up at a stunning £160.65. Top of the hoggs at £202 was a strong Texel from FR & AL Lyth, Mount Pleasant Farm; other continental hoggs sold typically £150 to £180, Jacob’s to a top of £140 and Herdwick’s to £128. Feeding ewes remain ferociously bid for, top at £235 were two strong Suffolk (ex-Mule) ewes from BR & RI Routledge, Walworth Moor Farm; tups topped at £230 from A Wilson, Calf Close, Mule ewes hit highs of £178 from both LD Laws and GW Dobson & Son. Goats also sold to £178 which again came from Calf Close plus we saw Zwartbles to £172, Blackface to £148, Jacob’s to £125, Herdwick’s to £118 and Swaledale’s to £107.
Store Hoggs:
Texel – £202 FR&AL Lyth. £180 £140 Beckwith. £178 LD Laws. £170 JV Hodgson. £155 A Toward.
Beltex – £182 LD Laws.
Suffolk – £155 FR&AL Lyth.
Jacob – £140 A Wilson.
Continental – £140 £110 N Back. £122 £100 A Wilson.
Herdwick – £128 A Wilson.
Feeding Sheep:
Suffolk – £235 £215 £205 BR&RI Routledge. £188 FR&AL Lyth. £175 A Lowson. £138 P Armstrong.
Continental – £230 A Wilson. £224 £216 £208 £172 £168 Beckwith. £222 £192 TA&J Swinbank. £222 A Lowson. £215 GW Dobson & Son. £208 £198 LF&HC Wood. £198 FR&AL Lyth. £195 B Fisk. £185 £158 GP&A Carter. £175 JV Hodgson & Son.
Texel – £228 BR&RI Routledge. £198 B Fisk. £198 LD Laws. £178 A Wilson. £176 £160 HT Davies & Partners.
Beltex – £208 A Lowson. £202 BR&RI Routledge. £185 S Davies.
Mule – £178 GW Dobson & Son. £178 LD Laws. £152 FR&AL Lyth.
Zwartbles – £172 A Lowson.
