Darlington Farmers Auction Mart held their weekly sale of prime stock on Thursday 28th May 2026. Forward were 228 cattle and 788 sheep.
65 Prime Bulls sold to 402ppk or £3402
42 Prime Steers sold to 414ppk or £3108
121 Prime Heifers sold to 490ppk or £2834
370 New Season Lambs sold to 572ppk or £271
356 Prime Hoggs sold to 514ppk or £289
62 Cast Ewes/Rams sold to £200
Prime Bulls (65) – Little change in the bull trade as the sale averaged 342ppk and £2454 per head. Reaching 400ppk remains difficult but not impossible and with less weight on the whole just four passed £3000. Top per kilo at 402 pence was a superb 735kg Limousin from W & M Knaggs & Son, East Newbiggin; five bulls following between 395ppk and 397ppk included another from the Knaggs, one each for P Weightman & Sons, Hallfield and TW Clark & Son, Frankland plus two from C Binks & Son, Walworth. Two British Blonde bulls from the Weightman’s of Hallfield Farm led the prices per head, the pick of them at 857kg reached £3402 whilst his pal at 843kg sold for £3270. Very well finished Fleckvieh bulls from CH & SE Armstrong, Middle Moor Farm led the dairy breeds today when they sold to tops of 340ppk and £2359.
Bulls- Top Averages PPK
C Binks & Son sold 2 (718kg) Average 396ppk
W&M Knaggs & Son sold 3 (714kg) Average 394ppk
P Weightman & Sons sold 2 (850kg) Average 392ppk
Bulls- Top Averages Lead Grossing
P Weightman & Sons sold 2 (850kg) Average £3336
R Hall & Son sold 3 (801kg) Average £2904
C Binks & Son sold 2 (718kg) Average £2843
Continental Bulls – Top prices ppk 402 395 385 W&M Knaggs & Son. 397 388 P Weightman & Sons. 396×2 C Binks & Son. 395 360 TW Clark & Son. 384 393 JC Johnson. 380 AJ Marr & Son. 376 373 365 CH&SE Armstrong. 371 LS Staley. 369 367 R Neill & Partners. 368 362 356 R Hall & Son. 360 352 GH Farms Ltd. 357 SH Watson & Son.
Lead Grossing Continental Bulls £3402 £3270 P Weightman & Sons. £3194 £2780 £2737 R Hall & Son. £3029 £2836 £2646 TW Clark & Son. £2954 £2783 £2705 W&M Knaggs & Son. £2930 £2756 C Binks & Son. £2872×2 £2616 £2534 CH&SE Armstrong. £2822 £2803 JC Johnson. £2727 WA Wardman Ltd. £2723 £2660 LS Staley. £2697 £2616 R Neill & Partners. £2642 £2562 GH Farms.
Native Bulls – Top prices ppk 340 CH&SE Armstrong. 312 Williamson. 312 310×2 278 SJ Harrison. 282 HM&JS Hutchinson.
Lead Grossing Native Bulls £2261 CH&SE Armstrong. £1993 Williamson. £1942 HM&JS Hutchinson. £1556 £1519 £1509 £1353 SJ Harrison.
Friesian Bulls – Top prices ppk 262 250 D Walker.
Lead Grossing Friesian Bulls £1537 £1440 D Walker.
Clean Cattle (163) – With the multipurpose abattoirs now firmly turning their attention back to cattle following a hectic sheep week the trade today looks much better than it has done in other outlets on other days this past couple of days; particularly the best end of the butchers’ types. Still some resistance in the R grade dairy crosses and anything even slightly lean or indeed out of spec. All included the heifers averaged 399ppk and £2408 whilst a good show of steers with a bit of weight about checked in at 353ppk and £2514. Three classy Limousin heifers weighing 565kg to 575kg stood out from the rest per kilo, topping at 490ppk was JV & JA Hodgson, The Grange, next in line at 489ppk came GK, KN & GJ Hird, Meadow View and the top trio was completed at 482ppk by R Hirst, Neasham Grange. Three steers sold over 400ppk, two hailed from Taylor Bros Ltd, Belle Isle however the top spot went to a cracking 672kg Limousin from the Askwiths of Low Mown Meadows, Crook. Gross values, twenty-five cattle sold over £2700, of these five sold in the £2800’s and four in the £2900’s and just the one passed £3000. A brilliant British Blue steer from Messrs DA Harrison, Hill House Farm, Cumbria cemented the first-time vendors the top gross spot, weighing 799kg and reaching £3108. Those in the chasing steer pack included F & R Simpson, Square House at £2991 plus NE Dyson, Gebdykes at £2937 then JB & N Harrison & Sons, Colepike Home Farm at £2913 and the aforementioned Askwiths at £2909. Top of the heifers in the lump gains a second mention for NE Dyson, Gebdykes with a cracker at £2834 with the good feeding of R Hirst, Neasham Grange following closely at £2830.
Heifers- Top Averages PPK
Askwiths sold 2 (441kg) Average 441ppk
JG&M Little sold 6 (592kg) Average 433ppk
R Hirst sold 10 (594kg) Average 426ppk
Heifers- Top Averages Lead Grossing
JE Suddes & Son sold 3 (663kg) Average £2628
W Swinbank & Sons sold 5 (610kg) Average £2626
NE Dyson sold 3 (676kg) Average £2573
Steers- Top Averages PPK
Taylor Bros Ltd sold 2 (614kg) Average 407ppk
Askwiths sold 2 (710kg) Average 400ppk
Messrs DA Harrison sold 7 (727kg) Average 377ppk
Steers- Top Averages Lead Grossing
F&R Simpson sold 4 (774kg) Average £2850
Askwiths sold 2 (710kg) Average £2845
Messrs DA Harrison sold 7 (727kg) Average £2744
Steers – Top prices ppk 414 389 Askwiths. 410 404 Taylor Bros. 397 NE Dyson. 393 389 384 379 375 369 352 Messrs DA Harrison. 386 JE Suddes & Son. 383 369 364 357 F&R Simpson. 382 G Beadle. 367 350 JB&N Harrison & Sons. 366 360×2 356 350 I Marshall & Sons. 358 AJ Marr & Son. 350 TJ Dennis.
Lead Grossing Steers £3108 £2842 £2767 £2726 £2655 £2625 Messrs DA Harrison. £2991 £2831 £2821 £2760 F&R Simpson. £2937 NE Dyson. £2913 £2618 £2542 JB&N Harrison & Sons. £2909 £2782 Askwiths. £2725 JE Suddes & Son. £2702 £2523 £2473 £2448 £2424 I Marshall & Sons. £2578 Taylor Bros.
Heifers – Top prices ppk 490 423 420 419 JV&JA Hodgson. 489 GK KN & GJ Hird. 482 456 450×2 438 R Hirst. 464 442 440 420 Messrs DA Harrison. 464 446 423 W Swinbank & Sons. 455 J Davies. 446 442 437 435 426 JG&M Little. 446 438 Askwiths. 456 Five Houses. 432 JE Suddes & Son. 427 421 JJ Crichton. 424 P&JH Davison. 424 422 S&J Dent & Son. 424 422 J Layfield. 423 422 421 RW Sowerby & Sons
Lead Grossing Heifers £2834 £2647 NE Dyson. £2830 £2766 £2746 £2659 £2622 R Hirst. £2792 GK KN & GJ Hird. £2773 JV&JA Hodgson. £2770 £2732 £2604 W Swinbank & Sons. £2746 £2625 JE Suddes & Son. £2739 £2711 £2668 Five Houses. £2690 £2689 J Layfield. £2687 £2666 £2641 Messrs DA Harrison. £2675 £2671 £2631 £2586 JG&M Little. £2642 £2589 PJ&ES Rogerson. £2597 £2574 RW Sowerby & Sons. £2591 £2538 JJ Crichton. £2591 C Binks & Son. £2587 J Davies.
New Season Lambs (370) – Incredible scenes at the springers with eight buyers stood afore what was a really good show of quality, credit must be bestowed upon the vendors for some excellent feeding and breeding. All included the sale averaged a weighed straight 479ppk and £211.96 per head, that’s up £10 on our sale last week, £20 on most other marts this week and a staggering £54 better than the whole sale averages this week last year. Ninety-five lambs sold over 500ppk and ninety hit at least £230 per head. Top per kilo at 572 pence were six super 44kg lambs from JC Simpson, Hill Top East, following at 560ppk were a trio at 46kg from JR Knox & Son, Bracks Farm with a cracking 46kg single at 556ppk from G & E Walton, The Meadow completing the medal podium per kilo. The successful Simpson run also led the gross values with half a dozen at 47kg selling for £261 apiece; more brilliance from Bracks Farm followed with lambs at £260 and £258 then the G & E Walton stunner joining two from Cole Hill Farm Ltd next at £256. Not just the posh sorts enjoying proceedings, plenty are now appearing with Mules for mothers; perhaps the most remarkable statistic today is that only fourteen lambs failed to reach £190.
Lambs- Top Averages PPK
JC Simpson sold 30 (44kg) Average 552ppk
W&M Knaggs & Son sold 34 (44kg) Average 517ppk
JR Knox & Son sold 14 (45kg) Average 501ppk
Cole Hill Farm Ltd sold 46 (46kg) Average 492ppk
Lambs- Top Averages Lead Grossing
JC Simpson sold 30 (44kg) Average £246
R Atkinson sold 13 (50kg) Average £244
W&M Knaggs & Son sold 34 (44kg) Average £229
JR Knox & Son sold 14 (45kg) Average £227
Cole Hill Farm Ltd sold 46 (46kg) Average £227
Lambs – Top prices ppk 572 555 548×2 534 JC Simpson. 560 553 504 JR Knox & Son. 556 551 547 523 500 496 476 G&E Walton. 552 551 540 516 515 508 488 W&M Knaggs & Son. 543 506 BR&RI Routledge. 542 480 478 AWSM Farms. 533 510 506 497 486 478 Cole Hill Farm Ltd. 518 ACM Spalding. 510 B Fisk. 508 484 480×2 R Atkinson. 491 JE Bullock. 488 Camilla Bailes. 488 C Binks & Son. 480 JA&A Herbert.
Lead Grossing Lambs £261 £252 £251 £236×2 JC Simpson. £260 £258 £227 £204 JR Knox. £256 £248×2 £230 £220 £215 £210×2 G&E Walton. £256 £245 £238 £229 £220 £219 £212 Cole Hill Farm Ltd. £254 £248 £238 £232 £229 £222 £220 W&M Knaggs & Son. £250×2 £249 £242 £239 R Atkinson. £249 ACM Spalding. £244 AWSM Farms. £240 B Fisk. £239 £238 BR&RI Routledge. £226 JE Bullock. £224 A Fox. £220 Camilla Bailes. £215 C Binks & Son. £214 £210 RA Patterson & Son.
Prime Hoggs (356) – With the buyers still recovering from a supersonic lamb trade the smoking hot hoggs did the unthinkable and went one better, a really good show with weight aplenty averaged a mind-boggling 480ppk and £252.10 per head. The sensational average was in no small part thanks to a cracking run of almost three-hundred quality clipped hoggs from R Atkinson, High Greenbury. High stakes from High Greenbury as they sold in just ten lots weighing 50kg to 55kg between 481ppk and 514ppk which equated to anywhere between £250 and £268. Top of the gross values were more clipped hoggs, eight thumping 70kg sorts from A & MJ Henshaw, Mainsgill Farm sold for a staggering £289; the same hot home followed at £288 and £274 just in front of a massive 83kg hogg from G & E Walton, The Meadow at £272.
Hoggs- Top Averages
A&MJ Henshaw sold 30 (62kg) Average £278 or 443ppk
R Atkinson sold 298 (51kg) Average £257 or 496ppk
Hoggs – Top prices ppk 524 522×2 516 504 496×3 494 490 R Atkinson. 478 464 429 412 382 A&MJ Henshaw. 452 431 289 285 RH Wilson & Son. 447 325 JR Knox & Son. 421 SMA&J Swinbank. 376 G Thompson & Sons. 333 276 JF Harland. 327 G&E Walton. 303 302 W.K M.M Lamb.
Lead Grossing Hoggs £289 £288 £274 £268×2 A&MJ Henshaw. £272 G&E Walton. £268 £263×2 £258 £257×3 £256×2 £250 R Atkinson. £246 £208 £134 RH Wilson & Son. £228 £130 JR Knox & Son. £226 G Thompson & Sons. £198 SMA&J Swinbank. £254 £140 W.K M.M Lamb. £140 JF Harland.
Cast Ewes & Rams (62) – A little chance to get our breath back in the ewes, trade still solid but after the incredible lambs and the stratospheric hoggs it was much more realistic to see a sale average of £150. A strong Texel from RA Patterson & Son, Whitehouse Farm led the way at £200, the same good home followed at £190 with another ewe plus a couple of tups alongside a strong Suffolk crossed ewe from Cole Hill Farm Ltd, Elwick at that price.
Lead Grossing Cast Sheep £200 £190×2 £170 £140 RA Patterson & Son. £190 Cole Hill Farm Ltd. £180 £150×2 GE Raw. £180 JA&A Herbert. £178 £160 W&M Knaggs & Son. £170 G Thompson & Sons. £160 M&J Dryden. £150 JF Harland. £138 ACM Spalding. £132 £130 JE Bullock. £130 £120 EJ&D Braithwaite. £130 £100 SMA&J Swinbank. £120 W.K M.M Lamb.
