Darlington Farmers Auction Mart held their weekly sale of prime stock on Thursday 25th June 2026. Forward were 214 cattle and 1094 sheep.
60 Prime Bulls sold to 400ppk or £3404
47 Prime Steers sold to 407ppk or £2925
107 Prime Heifers sold to 450ppk or £3045
991 New Season Lambs sold to 530ppk or £254
11 Prime Hoggs sold to 315ppk or £160
92 Cast Ewes & Rams sold to £286
Prime Bulls (60) – No surprises given reports from elsewhere that the bull trade remained somewhat sticky, not any less than last week in reality though. A few of the posh sorts are still selling away nicely as the biggest resistance from the buyers remains in the R and O grades which are probably very similar to seven days ago. All included today’s sale averaged 326ppk and £2275 per head. Top of the tree were some excellent bulls from D Richardson & Co Ltd, Bracken House as they led the prices per kilo at 400 pence with a 731kg British Blue and the pounds per head with an 896kg Limousin at £3404. A lovely run of Limousin bulls from WI Suddes & Son, South Farm chased the leaders closely to see tops of 399ppk and £2987. Native bred bulls were led by a fleshy 704kg Aberdeen Angus from CH & SE Armstrong, Middle Moor Farm when he sold for 345ppk and £2428 and the same good feeding also topped the Friesian trade with a 652kg bull selling for 328ppk and £2138.
Bulls leading Grossing Top Averages:
D Richardson & Co Ltd sold 3 (794kg) Average £3082
WI Suddes & Son sold 8 (680kg) Average £2606
WA Wardman Ltd sold 4 (721kg) Average £2502
Bulls PPK Top Averages:
D Richardson & Co Ltd sold 3 (794kg) Average 388ppk
WI Suddes & Son sold 8 (721kg) Average 382ppk
FW Hodgson & Son sold 2 (653kg) Average 348ppk
Continental Bulls – Top prices ppk 400 386 380 D Richardson & Co Ltd. 399 389 388 386 382 375 371 368 WI Suddes & Son. 380 346 342 WA Wardman Ltd. 360 337 FW Hodgson & Son. 360 359 348 GH Farms Ltd. 352 323 JM&S Walton. 343 336 334 JA&A Herbert. 341 334 321 WE&CA Anderson. 325 324 CH&SE Armstrong. 320 JK&CE Farming.
Lead Grossing Continental Bulls £3404£2924 £2918 D Richardson & Co. £2987 £2979 £2811 £2761 £2489 WI Suddes & Son. £2796 £2441×2 £2328 WA Wardman Ltd. £2718 £2304 WE&CA Anderson. £2563 £2494 £2411 GH Farms Ltd. £2452 £2342 JR Knox & Son. £2422 JK&CE Farming. £2411 £2351 SH Watson & Son. £2318 FW Hodgson & Son.
Native Bulls – Top prices ppk 345 326×2 324 300 268 CH&SE Armstrong. 320 310 305 GS Dowson.
Lead Grossing Native Bulls £2428 £2293 £2193 £2125 £2115 £1968 CH&SE Armstrong. £19824 £1596 £1555 GS Dowson.
Friesian Bulls – Top prices ppk 328 CH&SE Armstrong. 300 WE&CA Anderson. 256 JK&CE Farming. 247 HM&JS Hutchinson. 237 236 JM&S Walton.
Lead Grossing Friesian Bulls £2138 CH&SE Armstrong. £1953 WE&CA Anderson. £1911 £1850 JM&S Walton. £1756 JK&CE Farming. £1561 HM&JS Hutchinson.
Clean Cattle (154) – The clean continued last week’s momentum, granted they aren’t the flyer of a few months back but certainly competitive with thirty-six selling over £2600 and nineteen above 420ppk. All included this week’s heifers averaged 393ppk and £2392 whilst the steers levelled at 341ppk and £2557. Top per kilo at 450 pence was a lovely 605kg Limousin heifer from Cole Hill Farm Ltd, Elwick; following at 448 pence was a smart sort from WO Grix & Partners, Hillhead whilst the quintet in the 430’s included another Cole Hill heifer plus two apiece for W Miller, High Aketon and R Hirst, Neasham Grange. Top pf the steers per kilo at 407 pence was an excellent British Blue weighing 664kg from the consistent WJ Scott Ltd, Low Leam; three vendors following in the 390’s were I Marshall & Sons, Hope House, W Swinbank & Sons, Greystones and W Miller, High Aketon. The top two cattle in the lump were both over £3000 and both thumping Limousin heifers from A & MJ Henshaw, Mainsgill Farm as the local firm sold a 787kg girl at £3045 and her stablemate at 756kg reached £3008. Top of the steers in the lump was an excellent 843kg Limousin from Messrs R Miller Ltd, Arkleby Hall when he sold for £2925; two vendors sold a pair each over £2800 as super steers from the aforementioned WJ Scott Ltd were joined by a lovely pair of heifers from PJ & MP Gilhespy, Low House.
Clean Cattle Lead Grossing Top Averages:
WJ Scott Ltd sold 6 (690kg) Average £2705
PJ&MP Gilhespy sold 6 (661kg) Average £2694
I Marshall & Sons sold 4 (697kg) Average £2680
A&MJ Henshaw sold 10 (703kg) Average £2643
Clean Cattle PPK Top Averages:
W Miller sold 12 (555kg) Average 416ppk
Askwiths sold 4 (543kg) Average 414ppk
Cole Hill Farm Ltd sold 10 (617kg) Average 412ppk
WO Grix & Partners sold 15 (573kg) Average 408ppk
Steers – Top prices ppk 407 375 350 WJ Scott Ltd. 396 385 381 376 I Marshall & Sons. 395 372 W Swinbank & Sons. 390 W Miller. 381 WO Grix & Partners. 379 369 361 349 345 339 335 334 333 JD Forsyth & Son. 373 367 AF Hall. 360 359 340 LW Martin. 347 338 337 328×2 Messrs R Miller. 331 J Davis. 316 315×2 314 309 Messrs R Miller.
Lead Grossing Steers £2925 £2749 £2643 £2638 £2571 £2548 £2530 £2453 £2449 £2439 £2430 Messrs R Miller. £2872 £2849 £2702 WJ Scott Ltd. £2764 £2679 £2670 £2605 I Marshall & Sons. £2762 £2701 £2681 £2619 £2505 £2494 £2462 JD Forsyth & Son. £2671 £2566 £2472 AF Hall. £2626 £2458 W Swinbank & Sons. £2472 WO Grix & Partners.
Heifers – Top prices ppk 450 439 429 419 418 416 Cole Hill Farm Ltd. 448 425 423×2 418 WO Grix & Partners. 435 432 427 424 422 421 416 414 413 W Miller. 432 430 418 R Hirst. 429 418 414 PJ&MP Gilhespy. 429 419 414 JV&JA Hodgson. 424 413 Askwiths. 420 B Walker. 418×2 WJ Scott Ltd. 416 413 W Swinbank & Sons. 413 JG&M Little. 413 B Walker. 410 J Davis. 410 A&MJ Henshaw.
Lead Grossing Heifers £3045 £3008 £2689 £2660 £2642 £2568 £2516 A&MJ Henshaw. £2856 £2824 £2717 £2629 £2574 £2562 PJ&MP Gilhespy. £2722 £2685 £2643 £2567 £2537 £2525 Cole Hill Farm Ltd. £2658 £2605 R Hirst. £2646JV&JA Hodgson. £2637 £2581 B Walker. £2633 £2546 JG&M Little. £2613 £2604 £2591 WJ Scott Ltd. £2594 TJ Dennis. £2586 £2560 WO Grix & Partners.
Prime Lambs (991) – It’s no secret that the lambs are easing nationally after a stunning start to the season, thus said we still sit today 59ppk and £26 head up on last year to see a weighed straight average of 428ppk and £187.24 per head. Premiums were apparent on the those with thick loins whatever the weight, the heavy lambs too remain in strong demand. The five hundred pence per kilo club was more exclusive this week, the impressive weekly run of JC Simpson, Hill Top East joined it with four pens along with seven super sorts from a first draw of the year for RG Richardson, East Farm. Top of the day at 530 pence were half a dozen 43kg Simpson stars. Another vendor making a first draw in to the 2026 crop was Steve Hugill of Wytherstone Farms, Skiplam, a remarkable 60kg March born Suffolk cross lamb from this home topped the gross values when selling for £254 to Roots Farm Shop. Next in line were the seven 49kg crackers mentioned above from RG Richardson when they sold for £249 whilst the good weekly run from M & J Smith, Common Farm followed at £244 with a great pair of 54kg Texel lambs. Less money yes, but if six months ago we had been offered 100 lambs over 470ppk and over 250 beyond £200 we would very likely have taken it.
Lambs leading Grossing Averages:
RG Richardson sold 26 (49kg) Average £240
M&J Smith sold 47 (48kg) Average £225
Anna Herbert sold 8 (48kg) Average £220
JC Simpson sold 59 (43kg) Average £215
Lambs PPK Top Averages:
JC Simpson sold 59 (43kg) Average 493ppk
RG Richardson sold 26 (49kg) Average 488ppk
M&J Smith sold 47 (48kg) Average 463ppk
Anna Herbert sold 8 (48kg) Average 459ppk
Lambs – Top prices ppk 530 518 511 500 497 485 475 462 JC Simpson. 508 493 483 465 RG Richardson. 497 471 466 463 460 455 453 W&M Knaggs & Son. 493 Wytherstone Farm. 489 479 477 474 472 468 466 463 455 451 M&J Smith. 488 466 JA&A Herbert. 475 470 JR Knox & Son. 475 A&R Breeze. 472 P&H Bainbridge. 470 461 459 458 451 Anna Herbert.
Lead Grossing Lambs £254 £227 £226 £207 Wytherstone Farm. £249 £242 £237 £232 RG Richardson. £244 £239 £235 £229 £227 £225 £224 £223×2 M&J Smith. £230 T Lawson & Son. £228×2 £225 £223 £220 £219 JC Simpson. £226 £225 £220 £212 Anna Herbert. £224 £217 W&M Knaggs & Son. £224 £220 JA&A Herbert. £221 GP&A Carter. £220 R Lawson & Son. £219 M Pickering.
Cast Ewes & Rams (92) – Noticeably dearer this week as the ewe trade goes in the opposite direction to the lambs, all in a sale average of £169.68 was achieved. A handful of cracking sheep from WA Armstrong, Coxhoe set the pace with Texel ewes at £286 and £278 plus Texel tups to £270. The Coxhoe sheep didn’t have things all their own way however, an excellent Texel tup from J & A Herbert, Tees Farm snatched second place when he sold for £285. Bigger and fatter lowland ewes all over £200 this week whilst hard sucked leaner ewes anywhere £120 to £180 dependant on breed and size.
Ewes- £286 £278 £270 £246 £222 x2 WA Armstrong. £285 £180 JA&A Herbert. £231 x2 £230 £200 JC Simpson. £222 £190 T Grix. £220 £210 £200 £160 A&R Breeze. £220 Anna Herbert. £174 Ivan Walker. £174 W&M Knaggs & Son. £170 M Pickering. £160 CN Whitaker.
