Darlington Farmers Auction Mart held their weekly sale of prime stock on Thursday 12th November 2026. Forward were 207 cattle and 1102 sheep.
88 Prime Bulls sold to 419ppk or £3756
23 Prime Steers sold to 439ppk or £3195
96 Prime Heifers sold to 490ppk or £3297
1030 Prime Lambs sold to 400ppk or £190
72 Cast Ewes/Rams sold to £196
Prime Bulls (88) – The bulls were bouncing with all classes dearer by probably 10-15ppk to see the whole sale average 362ppk and £2591 per head. A great top end ensured that twenty-six sold at 400ppk or more and the best eleven of these sold over 410ppk. Top of the day at 419ppk was a beautiful 682kg Limousin bull from GK, KN & GJ Hird, Meadow View; following at 417ppk was a smart sort from J Layfield, Nackshivan before four bulls at 416ppk, three of this quartet hailed from the Renton Highlaws team, Morpeth and the other from Leicestershire’s M & G Chantrell Ltd. Twenty-three bulls sold over £3000, the top three passed £3500. Best of the bunch at £3756 was a thumping 939kg Limousin from JA Matten & Sons, Avenue Grange, Thirsk; second spot went to a brilliant British Blue from the on-song Renton Highlaws pen with another from Messrs Matten completing the medal places. Much more fire in the Friesian trade too today, tops went to JK & CE Farming, Blue House at £2171 and to MA & PD Foster, Smithy House at 318ppk.
Leading Averages Per Kilo
Renton Highlaws Ltd sold 8 (757kg) averaged 408ppk
WM Fleming sold 6 (757kg) averaged 403ppk
J Layfield sold 5 (752kg) averaged 402ppk
JA Matten & Sons sold 3 (881kg) averaged 400ppk
Leading Averages Per Head
JA Matten & Sons sold 3 (881kg) averaged £3530
SH Watson & Son sold 2 (836kg) averaged £3267
LS Staley sold 2 (890kg) averaged £3178
Renton Highlaws Ltd sold 8 (757kg) averaged £3091
WM Fleming sold 6 (757kg) averaged £3054
J Layfield sold 5 (752kg) averaged £3023
Continental Bulls Leading PPK
419 GK, KN & GJ Hird. 417 409 404 391 390 J Layfield. 416 413 408 405 392 M & G Chantrell Ltd. 416(x3) 414 406 403 402 391 Renton Highlaws Ltd. 411(x2) 409 404 402 WM Fleming. 410 407 TW Clark & Son. 404 SH Watson & Son. 402 400(x2) JA Matten & Sons.,
Native Breed Bulls Leading PPK
335 R Hall & Son. 326 ER & GI Younger. 326 315 310 Mayfield Beef Shorthorns. 318 JA & A Herbert. 284 281 JV Hodgson & Son.
Friesian Bulls Leading PPK
318 316 311 307 MA & PD Foster. 297 JK & CE Farming. 290 GS Dowson.
Continental Bulls Leading Gross
£3756 £3504 £3332 JA Matten & Sons. £3527 £3319 £3109 £3070 £3055 £3053 £2979 Renton Highlaws Ltd. £3308 £3006 £3002 £2916 £2885 J Layfield. £3272 £3266 SH Watson & Son. £3232 £3124 LS Staley. £3121TW Clark & Son. £3107 £3092 £3086 £3079 £3062 £2899 WM Fleming. £3062 GW Dobson & Son. £2952 LR Welsh & Co.
Native Breed Bulls Leading Gross
£2514 £2280 £2230 £2193 Mayfield Beef Shorthorns. £2442 R Hall & Son. £2357 £2329 JV Hodgson & Son. £2245 JA & A Herbert.
Friesian Bulls Leading Gross
£2171 JK & CE Farming. £2038 £2012 £2010 £1813 MA & PD Foster. £1922 GS Dowson.
Clean Cattle (119) – An excellent trade from top to bottom as the live ring thrives, no waiting lists or last-minute cancellations, farm assurance is optional and no age prejudices apply. Heifers average an excellent 417ppk and £2555 whilst the sensational steers average 408ppk and £2771. Regular sellers WM Fleming, Moss Tower crossed the Anglo-Scottish border again this week to carry out a successful scoop of the top prices per kilo; the Roxburghshire reivers topped at 490ppk with a smart 592kg Limousin heifer selling to H Taylor & Sons butchers. More Fleming firepower saw them sell another heifer at 488ppk, next came Cole Hill Farm, Elwick at 483ppk then JE Suddes & Son at 476ppk and 477ppk along with JV & JA Hodgson who also sold at 476ppk. The steers were superb, only two failed to reach 390ppk and over half sold over 410ppk. Top per kilo at 439 pence was a cracking 672kg Limousin from JE Suddes & Son, Rowley Farm; two classy sorts followed at 432ppk as Cole Hill Farm, Elwick and the far travelled RJ Mawby, Fields Farm, Rugby both impressed. Gross values – fourteen fleshy sorts sold over £3000 this week. Top at £3297 was an impressive 758kg 30-month-old Limousin heifer from Messrs Lawson & Son, Hundith House; another brilliant OTM heifer followed, this one at 717kg hailed from PJ & MP Gilhespy, Low House and she sold for £3219. Topping the steers was a shapely 787kg British Blue from TN Callender, Ox Eye Farm at £3195, the same good feeding in fact today produced the top three steers in the lump with others at £3170 and £3164. Other cattle in the £3k club included two more Hundith House heifers, another for Messrs Gilhespy, three sweet sorts from W Swinbank & Sons and one apiece for Cole Hill Farm, WM Fleming and NE Dyson.
Clean Cattle PPK Top Averages-
WM Fleming sold 4 (605kg) Average 460ppk
JE Suddes & Son sold 4 (638kg) Average 456ppk
JV&JA Hodgson sold 6 (599kg) Average 438ppk
Cole Hill Farm Ltd sold 10 (603kg) Average 438ppk
Clean Cattle Lead Grossing Top Averages-
JE Suddes & Son sold 4 (638kg) Average £2918
W Swinbank & Sons sold 8 (671kg) Average £2886
TN Callender sold 6 (703kg) Average £2882
PJ&MP Gilhespy sold 6 (683kg) Average £2878
Steers – Top prices ppk 439 JE Suddes & Son. 432 429 427 415 Cole Hill farm Ltd. 432 420 419 412 394 RJ Mawby. 428 398×2 NE Dyson. 425 406 400 TN Callender. 418 406 Taylor Bros. 404 RO Gilson. 399 PJ&MP Gilhespy. 391 W Swinbank & Sons. 384 WF Hustwit.
Lead Grossing Steers £3195 £3170 £3164 TN Callender. £3162 £2678 £2579 NE Dyson. £3011 £2933 £2780 £2587 Cole Hill Farm Ltd. £2959 £2714 £2653 £2564 £2478 RJ Mawby. £2950 JE Suddes & Son. £2940 PJ&MP Gilhespy. £2897 W Swinbank & Sons. £2727 RO Gilson. £2456 £2424 Taylor Bros.
Heifers – Top prices ppk 490 488 439 WM Fleming. 483 449 446 440 436 433 Cole Hill Farm Ltd. 477 475 438 JE Suddes & Son. 476 445 438 JV&JA Hodgson. 464 441 440 439 432 RJ Mawby. 451 435 Lawson & son. 450 440×2 R Hirst. 450 449×2 440 432 W Swinbank & Sons. 450 Taylor Bros. 449 PJ&MP Gilhespy. 441 RO Gilson. 433 WF Hustwit. 433 430 F&JS Gargett.
Lead Grossing Heifers £3297 £3129 £3126 Lawson & Son. £3219 £3022 £2853 PJ&MP Gilhespy. £3100 £3062 £3035 £2841 £2782 W Swinbank & Sons. £3001 £2900 £2673 WM Fleming. £2976 £2862 £2853 £2794 £2751 RJ Mawby. £2971 £2913 £2838 JE Suddes & Son. £2932 RO Gilson. £2884 JV&JA Hodgson. £2777 AC Simpson & Son. £2756 TN Callender. £2738 Cole Hill Farm Ltd.
Prime Lambs (1030) – Less forward as numbers drop off in the region and even perhaps begin to dry up nationwide, the turnip types are a way off yet. The sale average fell by 10ppk and £5 per head on last week, the big change was the big lambs as they failed to emulate last week’s incredible returns. All in today’s sale averaged 321ppk and £154.53 with an SQQ of 332ppk. Top per kilo at 400 pence was a pen of nine tidy 42kg Beltex bred lambs from JC Hope & Son, Cornhow Farm, Cockermouth. Seventeen 43kg clipped Texel’s from R Atkinson, High Greenbury followed at 393ppk ahead of K & PM Lough with 44kg at 377ppk and W Denham with 45kg at 375ppk. Two vendors led the gross values at £190, J & A Layfield, New Row Farm joined RO Gilson, Old Park Hall. As mentioned, the heavy lambs looked less on last week’s barnstorming trade with £170 to £185 most likely for the better bred and well-fed heavies today.
Lambs – lead Grossing Averages-
J&A Layfield sold 50 (56kg) Average £177
RO Gilson sold 21 (55kg) Average £173
C Moffett sold 5 (58kg) Average £171
J&S Barnes sold 7 (47kg) Average £170
Lead Grossing Lambs- £190 £186 x2 £177 x2 £175 £173 J&A Layfield. £190 £182 £174 x2 £171 RO Gilson. £185 C Moffett. £180 £173 x2 D&PH Brown. £180 £173 £171 I&A Holmes. £179 £170 WA Wardman Ltd. £175 T Lawson & Son. £172 £170 WKMM Lamb. £172 IR Appleton. £172 Cole Hill Farm Ltd. £171 R Atkinson. £170 x2 J&S Barnes. £170 CK&D Muir Ltd.
Lambs- Top Prices PPK 400 368 365 362 358 351 JC Hope & Son. 393 371 367 R Atkinson. 377 352 340 K&PM Lough. 375 352 W Denham. 368 344 340 WKMM Lamb. 361 J&S Barnes. 351 348 343 HT Davies & Partners. 350 CK&D Muir Ltd. 348 345 TW Dinning. 346 IR Appleton. 345 Bowes Bros. 345 343 JJ Horn. 343 GP&A Carter. 340 WA Wardman Ltd.
Cast Ewes/Rams (72) – Another week passes with numbers low on the Thursday following a large offering and an excellent trade on the Monday here in DfAM. Today’s trade looked similar on the week to average all in £131. Top at £196 was a strong tup from W Denham, Dent Gate; following at £186 was a pair of Texel ewes from JJ Horn, Bushy Park and at £180 was a good Texel ewe from JC Thwaite & Son, Cragg Hill.
Lead Grossing Cast Sheep £196 £160 W Denham. £186 £120 JJ Horn. £180 £160 £130 JC Thwaite & Son. £170 R Fletcher. £150 £140 IR Appleton. £148 £130 RO Gilson. £142 HT Davies & Partners. £140 £130 CK&D Muir Ltd. £130 JGM Brown & Co. £130 TA&J Swinbank. £130 J&S Barnes.
