Darlington Farmers Auction Mart held their weekly sale of prime stock on Thursday 29th October 2026. Forward were 235 cattle and 1541 sheep.
84 Prime Bulls sold to 409ppk or £3167
41 Prime Steers sold to 468ppk or £3019
110 Prime Heifers sold to 476ppk or £3329
1475 Prime Lambs sold to 426ppk or £230
66 Cast Ewes/Rams sold to £220
Prime Bulls (84) – The story of elsewhere didn’t escape DfAM as the bulls were less money this week, probably back 10-15ppk; still the top eight sold at 400ppk or more however with far fewer of the heavyweights on offer just the five passed £3000 today. Top per kilo at 409 pence was a cracking 712kg Limousin from W & M Knaggs & Son, East Newbiggin; the same good feeding followed at 406ppk ahead of PI Harker, Worsall Grove at 404ppk then M & G Chantrell Ltd, Flash Farm at 402ppk and WM Fleming, Moss Tower at 401ppk. With very few bulls beyond 800kg today the top prices in the lump are certainly less attractive than in recent times, the top bull from SH Watson & Son, Low Fields was a hefty sort, an 863kg Limousin which sold for £3167. The regular border raiders Messrs WM Fleming, Moss Tower brought forward some excellent suckler bred Aberdeen Angus sired bulls this week; they duly topped the native breeds by some margin with bulls to 393ppk and £2943. Friesian feeders also found trade less buoyant, top per kilo at 294ppk were HM & JS Hutchinson, North Close whilst the best in the lump came from GW Dobson & Son, Wood Close at £2157.
Leading Averages Per Kilo
W & M Knaggs & Son sold 4 averaged 393ppk (749kg)
GK, KN & GJ Hird sold 3 averaged 393ppk (729kg)
M & G Chantrell Ltd sold 10 averaged 387ppk (663kg)
WM Fleming sold 5 averaged 385ppk (759kg)
PI Harker sold 2 averaged 380ppk (758kg)
Leading Averages Per Head
SH Watson & Son sold 2 averaged £3089 (839kg)
W & M Knaggs & Son sold 4 averaged £2948 (749kg)
WM Fleming sold 5 averaged £2930 (759kg)
PI Harker sold 2 averaged £2884 (758kg)
GK, KN & GJ Hird sold 3 averaged £2867 (729kg)
Continental Bulls – Top prices ppk 409 406 391 370 W&M Knaggs & Son. 404 362 PI Harker. 402 400×3 399 385 381 379 376 M&G Chantrell Ltd. 401 383 372 WM Fleming. 399 395 385 GK KN & GJ Hird. 381 340 K&A Harker. 379 366 LW Martin. 369 367 SH Watson & Son. 356 R Hall & Son. 347×2 335 JC Thwaite. 342 333 Williamson. 341 335 C Harle & Sons. 339 WC Stones & Son. 338 J&A Herbert.
Lead Grossing Continental Bulls £3167 £3011 SH Watson & Son. £3066 £2702 PI Harker. £3045 £3000 £2912 £2834 W&M Knaggs & Son. £2923 £2880 £2798 GK KN & GJ Hird. £2901 £2891 WM Fleming. £2847 £2634 P Langstaff. £2709 £2680 £2656 £2632 £2567 £2560 M&G Chantrell Ltd. £2682 LW Martin. £2658 £2557 JC Thwaite & Son. £2621 £2617 K&A Harker. £2605 R Hall & Son.
Native Bulls – Top prices ppk 393 380 WM Fleming. 331 R Hall & Son. 331 J Mawer. 320 RA&DR Chapman. 319 312 309 308 288 JF Latimer. 317 315 311 JA&A Herbert. 312 300 GS Dowson. 230 Gerard Te-Lintelo.
Lead Grossing Native Bulls £2943 £2918 WM Fleming. £2555 Gerard Te-Lintelo. £2185 £2051 £1999 £1992 £1980 JF Latimer. £2148 R Hall & Son. £2085 £1880 £1831 JA&A Herbert. £2057 RA&DR Chapman. £2009 £1941 GS Dowson. £1939 J Mawer.
Friesian Bulls – Top prices ppk 294 HM&JS Hutchinson. 290 262 GW Dobson & Son. 286 GS Dowson. 276 258×2 MA&PD Foster.
Lead Grossing Friesian Bulls £2157 £1820 GW Dobson & Son. £1989 £1898 £1707 MA&PD Foster. £1946 HM&JS Hutchinson. £1921 GS Dowson.
Clean Cattle (151) – In contrast to the bulls the clean trade rolled along quite nicely, the ideal product must, must, must have a thick loin, some of the out of spec or leaner beast would arguably look a shade easier on the week. The heifers averaged 408ppk and £2453 whilst the steers levelled at 369ppk and £2522. Twenty-seven lots sold at 440ppk or more, the top two made it past 470ppk; pick of them all at 476ppk was a superb 573kg Limousin heifer from Leicestershire based M & G Chantrell Ltd, Flash Farm. Following at 472ppk was a smart 564kg Limousin heifer from Cumbrian W Miller, High Aketon. The best of the bullocks came next as Lincolnshire took its turn as we moved around the counties, a stunning 632kg British Blue cross from O Chapman & O Parkin sold for 468ppk. A return to Cumbria to find the top gross value, a thumping 789kg Limousin from I Grainger, Kiln Close at an impressive £3329 held of strong challenges from three County Durham consignors; JE Suddes & Son, Rowley Farm with a heifer at £3219, MJ & EA Sedgewick, Long Myers with a steer at £3019 and the Askwiths of Middle Mown Meadows with a steer at £3015.
Leading Averages Per Kilo
O Chapman & O Parkin sold 2 averaged 450ppk (660kg)
WM Fleming sold 5 averaged 446ppk (623kg)
R Hirst sold 10 averaged 439ppk (570kg)
I Grainger sold 3 averaged 437ppk (654kg)
DW Humphrey sold 3 averaged 437ppk (630kg)
Leading Averages Per Head
O Chapman & O Parkin sold 2 averaged £2974 (660kg)
MJ & EA Sedgewick sold 4 averaged £2934 (714kg)
Askwiths sold 3 averaged £2884 (696kg)
I Grainger sold 3 averaged £2865 (654kg)
W Swinbank & Sons sold 5 averaged £2861 (668kg)
Steers – Top prices ppk 468 434 Double O Livestock. 440 436 434 430 423 422 402 M&G Chantrell Ltd. 430 415 409 390 I Marshall & Sons. 429 420 407 388 MJ&EA Sedgewick. 426 420 395 Askwiths. 404 382 JR&B Anderson. 384 382 DL&D Lovegreen. 370 JB&N Harrison & Sons. 364 G&JY Marshall. 349 336 JR Tiplady.
Lead Grossing Steers £3019 £2981 £2914 ££2820 MJ&EA Sedgewick. £3015 £2982 £2654 Askwiths. £2990 £2957 Double O Livestock. £2838 £2752 £2646 £2558 I Marshall & Sons. £2727 £2525 JR&B Anderson. £2686 JB&N Harrison. £2666 £2650 £2550 £2519 £2293 M&G Chantrell Ltd. £2493 JR Tiplady. £2424 £2375 £2323 £2311 W Thompson & Son.
Heifers – Top prices ppk 476 448 445 444 442 440 M&G Chantrell Ltd. 472 440 438×3 436×2 432 W Miller. 462 458 454 441 R Hirst. 460 456 450 448 WM Fleming. 458 440 I Grainger. 452 441 JE Suddes & Son. 450 441 438 JV Hodgson & Son. 450 W Swinbank & Sons. 448 445 DW Humphrey. 443 RW Sowerby & Sons. 439 438×2 K Trotter. 430 G&JY Marshall. 428 Taylor Bros. 427 JR&B Anderson & Son.
Lead Grossing Heifers £3329 £2697 I Grainger. £3219 £2856 JE Suddes & Son. £2991 £2943 £2884 £2747 £2741 W Swinbank & Sons. £2900 £2809 £2777 £2727 £2686 WM Fleming. £2830 £2668 TJ Dennis. £2825 £2800 £2646 DW Humphrey. £2727 M&G Chantrell. £2723 £2684 JV&JA Hodgson. £2684 R Hirst. £2662 W Miller. £2645 £2607 K Trotter. £2578 RW Sowerby & Son.
Prime Lambs (1475) – The lamb trade looks lively, the bounty on the big lambs in particular was extremely high as the top hundred reached £200 to help the averages rise to an all-in, weighed straight 342ppk and £162.73 per head. Top per kilo at 426 pence was a super quartet of 42kg Beltex lambs from HT Davies & Partners, Lough House; JC Simpson, Hill Top East followed with a smart sort at 421ppk before nine more from Lough House at 412ppk and eleven tidy clipped 46kg lambs from R Atkinson, High Greenbury at 401ppk. The heavyweights threatened, and defeated, £200 throughout the sale, none more so than an excellent 64kg Suffolk from RO Gilson, Old Park Hall which sold for £230. A thumping 72kg lamb from TW Clark & Son, Frankland Farm followed at £228 just before six 60kg stars from Cole Hill Farm Ltd, Elwick at £223. A thick fleshed sort from RH Thompson & Son, Whins Farm followed at £222 then a host in the two hundred teens followed including more from Whins Farm and Cole Hill along with T Lawson & Son, Sands Farm and a great run from D & PH Brown, Cordilleras Farm.
Prime Lamb Leading Averages
D & PH Brown sold 15 averaged £207 (58kg)
Cole Hill Farm Ltd sold 40 averaged £206 (56kg)
T Lawson & Son sold 18 averaged £201 (57kg)
Ruby Thompson sold 3 averaged £194 (52kg)
R Thompson & Son sold 20 averaged £193 (56kg)
RO Gilson sold 29 averaged £192 (52kg)
William Simpson sold 3 averaged £190 (54kg)
Top Prices Per Kilo
426 412 HT Davies & Partners. 421 392 JC Simpson. 402 395 377 R Atkinson. 395 372 O Chapman & O Parkin. 390 371 A & PA Jopling. 383 DG & PD Ayre. 382 371 RO Gilson. 382 371 Cole Hill Farm Ltd. 377 Ruby Thompson. 374 J & P Armstrong. 372 T Lawson & Son. 372 S Richardson.
Top Prices Per Head
£230 £210 £209 £199 RO Gilson. £228 £209 TW Clark & Son. £223 £215 £214 £200 Cole Hill Farm Ltd. £222 £215 £206 £205 £201 RH Thompson & Son. £216 £207 £204 T Lawson & Son. £215 £213 £209 D & PH Brown. £210 R Wood & Son. £210 WA Wardman Ltd. £205 £199 M & A Gaskin. £205 HG Thompson. £204 R Thompson. £204 S Richardson. £199 A & PA Jopling. £198 J & S Barnes.
Cast Ewes (66) – A light show as our Monday sales continue to attract the lion’s share of our ewes. Trade rolling along nicely to average £123.90. Top at £220 was a heavy Texel ewe from JC & A Hutchinson, Featherhill Farm. The same home followed at £192 and also headed the Mule prices at £140.
Leading Prices
£220 £192 £140(x2) JC & A Hutchinson. £180 £160 JJ Horn. £168 R Errington & Son. £160 M & A Gaskin. £150 WM Allison & Son. £150 T Lawson & Son. £140 A & PA Jopling.
