Darlington Farmers Auction Mart held their weekly sale of prime stock on Thursday 16th April 2026. Forward were 249 cattle and 1451 sheep.
61 Prime Bulls sold to 428ppk or £3637
59 Prime Steers sold to 422ppk or £3301
128 Prime Heifers sold to 490ppk or £3288
1 Cast Cow sold for 140ppk and £1157
1229 Prime Hoggs sold to 488ppk or £254
222 Cast Ewes/Rams sold to £264
Prime Bulls (61) – Bull trade a shade easier in line with the national trend, the sale averages of 360ppk and £2524 still though included ten bulls over 400ppk and eleven above £3000. Top per kilo at 428 pence was a beautiful 686kg Limousin from WI Suddes & Son, South Farm; following at 427ppk was a cracking 761kg British Blue from LS Staley, Bluestone House and then the two aforementioned vendors shared the next highest price per kilo at 425 pence. Three more vendors reached 420ppk as Limousin’s from Cole Hill Farm Ltd, R Hall & Son and J Layfield completed the top end of the leader board. No doubting the leading vendor in the gross value race as J Layfield, Nackshivan Farm claimed the four top spots, best of all at £3637 was a thumping 907kg Limousin. Native bred bull prices topped per kilo at 351 pence for an Aberdeen Angus from R Hall & Son, Kilton Hall whilst the best grossing price was a hefty Beef Shorthorn from the far travelled WA Fettes, Braes of Enzie, Aberdeenshire at £2847. In the pure dairy breeds, it was the Montbéliard’s from CH & SE Armstrong, Middle Moor which led the way when selling to 344ppk and £2321 whereas the more traditional black and whites sold to tops of 319ppk and £2251 from JM & S Walton, Brettanby Farm.
Bulls- Lead Grossing Top Averages
J Layfield sold 6 (816kg) Average £3282
LS Staley sold 2 (754kg) Average £3212
WI Suddes & Son sold 3 (710kg) Average £3012
Messrs WA Fettes sold 3 (863kg) Average £2959
Bulls- PPK Top Averages
LS Staley sold 2 (754kg) Average 426ppk
WI Suddes & Son sold 3 (710kg) Average 424ppk
Cole Hill Farm Ltd sold 2 (708kg) Average 411ppk
J Layfield sold 6 (816kg) Average 401ppk
Continental Bulls – Top prices ppk 428 425 419 WI Suddes & Son. 427 425 LS Staley. 423 399 Cole Hill Farm Ltd. 421 382 R Hall & Son. 420 411 401 396 395 392 J Layfield. 395 Messrs WA Fettes. 391 381 352 GH Farms Ltd. 375 JR Knox & Son. 374 J Gracey. 364 348 EA Martin & Son. 358 357 350 CH&SE Armstrong. 354 JC&P Tallentire. 350 348 Messrs Sayer.
Lead Grossing Continental Bulls £3637 £3582 £3373 £3263 £2943 £2893 J Layfield. £3249 £3174 LS Staley. £3225 £2936 £2874 WI Suddes & Son. £3160 J Gracey. £3118 £2911 Messrs WA Fettes. £3090 £2547 R Hall & Son. £3024 £2796 Cole Hill Farm Ltd. £2857 £2572 EA Martin & Son. £2795 £2659 £2421 GH Farms Ltd. £2385 J Murray. £2359 JM&S Walton.
Native Bulls – Top prices ppk 351 R Hall & son. 348 JK&CE Farming. 328 CH&SE Armstrong. 322 JR Knox & Son. 314 Messrs WA Fettes.
Lead Grossing Native Bulls £2847 Messrs WA Fettes. £2669 JR Knox & Son. £2439 R Hall & Son. £2373 JK&CE Farming. £2112 CH&SE Armstrong.
Friesian Bulls – Top prices ppk 319 292 JM&S Walton. 290 JK&CE Farming.
Lead Grossing Friesian Bulls £2251 £2134 JM&S Walton. £1887 JK&CE Farming.
Clean Cattle (187) – Truthfully all classes are less money, particularly the R and O grades, all regular buyers are still in attendance and bidding for all classes but they are pressing somewhat harder on the brake pedal. It is not all doom and gloom, even on a falling trade still thirteen cattle surpassed £3000 and the top three heifers sold over 480ppk; all said and done the sale averages see steers level up at 376ppk and £2645 and the heifers 396ppk and £2428. Top per kilo at 490 pence was a superb 532kg Limousin heifer from W Miller, High Aketon Farm, Wigton which sold to H Taylor & Sons Butchers, Darlington. High Aketon followed again with a 552kg heifer at 484ppk just in front of a smart 539kg sort from R Hirst, Neasham Grange; the super run from Neasham also clocked in with three more in the 470’s. Top of the steers per kilo was a smart 681kg Limousin from the Askwiths of Low Mown Meadows, he was followed by a cracker from F & R Simpson, Square House at 420ppk and a classy British Blue from J Gracey, Tehillah, Turriff at 419ppk. Top of the gross values was the aforementioned steer from Square House, a delightful 786kg Limousin which added up to £3301. Two thick set Charolais from Messrs Fettes, Braes of Enzie followed closest when the Aberdeenshire outfit sold an 804kg heifer at £3288 and a 797kg steer at £3180.
Clean Cattle- Lead Grossing Top Average
F&R Simpson sold 4 (784kg) Average £3099
Messrs WA Fettes sold 10 (736kg) Average £2954
Messrs R Miller Ltd sold 6 (746kg) Average £2906
E Buchan sold 12 (727kg) Average £2830
Clean Cattle- PPK Top Averages
Cole Hill Farm Ltd sold 2 (608kg) Average 453ppk
W Miller sold 10 (557kg) Average 449ppk
R Hirst sold 12 (571kg) Average 439ppk
Askwiths sold 4 (640kg) Average 432ppk
Steers – Top prices ppk 422 418 Askwiths. 420 405 387 369 F&R Simpson. 419 381 J Gracey. 413 411 397 380 NE Dyson. 410×2 409 402 399 394 393 384 383 374 364 E Buchan. 410 407 405 395 390 WO Grix & Partners. 404 394 391 390 387 374 Messrs R Miller Ltd. 399 Messrs WA Fettes. 397 R&EM Smithson. 380 A Swinbank. 379 R&LJ Simpson. 360 TJ Dennis. 358 JM Smith 350 PR&V Barlow
Lead Grossing Steers £3301 £3057 £3037 £2999 F&R Simpson. £3180 Messrs WA Fettes. £3119 £3097 NE Dyson. £3111 £3002 £2958 £2813 £2800 £2751 Messrs R Miller Ltd. £3057 £3040 £3027 £2977 £2976 £2931 £2871 £2797 E Buchan. £2929 £2583 R&EM Smithson. £2890 £2853 £2823 RO Grix & Partners. £3001 £2873 Askwiths. £2790 TJ Dennis. £2708 J Gracey. £2664 R&LJ Simpson.
Heifers – Top prices ppk 490 484 469 454 448 438 429×2 428×2 W Miller. 482 474 473 472 440 439 436 430 423 R Hirst. 467 TJ Dennis. 465 442 Cole Hill Farm Ltd. 450 444 Askwiths. 449 444 428 WO Grix & Partners. 448 420 F&JS Gargett. 439 431 429 425 WF Hustwit. 435 JV&JA Hodgson. 433 A Swinbank & Son. 430 422 421 Messrs WA Fettes. 420 418 WR Thompson. 420 J&A&DA Horn. 418 415 414 JE Suddes & Son.
Lead Grossing Heifers £3288 £2975 £2959 £2958 £2955 £2928 £2836 Messrs WA Fettes. £2904 £2825 TJ Dennis. £2869 £2810 WO Grix & Partners. £2866 £2816 £2633 J Gracey. £2848 £2701 £2645 JE Suddes & Son. £2780 £2729 Cole Hill Farm Ltd. £2780 £2700 £2662 TC Walton. £2758 £2729 £2695 R Hirst. £2732 WF Hustwit. £2695 NE Dyson. £2688 F&JS Gargett. £2671 £2615 £2606 W Miller.
Prime Hoggs (1229) – The hoggs continue in very similar fashion, arguably the heavies look a touch easier however the continentals under 47kg would be somewhat sharper on the week. Once again, a good proportion of Mules and horned hoggs plus an unusual two hundred Romney’s today resulted in a sale average of 380ppk and £182.36 with an SQQ of 403ppk. Top of the pops were a special pair of 52kg Beltex hoggs from TN Callender, Ox Eye Farm, Whinney Hill when they sold for a brilliant £254 (488ppk) apiece. Two smart sorts from JR Stead & Sons, Park House followed next highest per kilo at 480 pence whilst in the pounds per head the excellent Callender hoggs also sold at £235 and £224 before Blue Texel’s from CR McLaren, Grindon Grange at 52kg and £220. Away from the mainstream meat breeds we saw the big run of Romneys average 404ppk and £167.60 plus a consignment of eighty hill Cheviot’s top at 405ppk and £167 whilst Mules this week sold to 354ppk and £182 and a somewhat plainer offering of Swaledale’s topped at 325ppk and £150.
Hoggs- Lead Grossing Top Averages
CR McLaren sold 10 (60kg) Average £220
TN Callender sold 26 (53kg) Average £207
JR Stead & Sons sold 44 (50kg) Average £198
PR Weaver sold 104 (52kg) Average £197
Hoggs – Top prices ppk 488 428 422 419 403 TN Callender. 480 437 425 JR Stead & Sons. 450×2 439 434×2 424 PJ&MP Gilhespy. 444 420 TA Greensit & Sons. 431 428 395 PJ Tindale. 427 421 416 W.K M.M Lamb. 425 PR&V Barlow & Son. 423 402 C Binks & Son. 423 CR McLaren. 420 A Crowder. 416 402×2 400×2 395 393 Messrs Bell. 415 400 DG&PD Ayre. 413 393 CS Robinson. 408 402 R Hills. 405 397×2 J Atkinson. 404 400 W Allison & Sons.
Lead Grossing Hoggs £254 £235 £224 £220 £210 £197×3 TN Callender. £220×3 CR McLaren. £218 £210 TA Greensit & Sons. £214 R Hills. £213 £203×2 £20×2 £198 £197 £196 JR Stead & Sons. £210×3 £206 £205 £204 £200 PR Weaver. £205 DG&PD Ayre. £204 £202 £200 £196×2 A Crowder. £203.50 £202 J Atkinson. £200 PR&V Barlow & Son. £200×4 £196×3 J&A Layfield. £200 JC Thwaite & Son. £199 C Binks & Son.
Cast Ewes/Rams (222) – The ewes continue to sell very well, probably not just as spicy as the previous couple of weeks but with all lambing catastrophes included and a sale average of £169.26, things could certainly be a whole lot worse. Top at £264 was a cracking Texel ewe from T Lawson & Son, Sands Farm, following at £256 was a shapely black Beltex from TN Callender, Ox Eye Farm. The continentals and Suffolk’s with flesh on their backs remain £200 and beyond, Mule ewes topped at £196, Cheviot’s sold to £200 and Blackface led the horned sheep with a best of £168.
Lead Grossing Cast Sheep £264 £232 £218 £212 3202 T Lawson & son. £256 £192 TN Callender. £229 £200 £192 £190 £182 F Shield. £224 J Atkinson. £214 DG&PD Ayre. £210 £200 £194 £190 AWSM Farms. £210 PN&VJ Noble. £210 3200×2 F Brown & Son. £206 £190 G Thompson & Sons. £204 RE&L Frank. £201 WA Wardman Ltd. £200 £186 W.K M.M Lamb.
