Darlington Farmers Auction Mart held their weekly sale of prime stock on Thursday 30th April 2026. Forward were 188 cattle and 874 sheep.
40 Prime Bulls sold to 434ppk or £3476
45 Prime Steers sold to 450ppk or £2912
103 Prime Heifers sold to 484ppk or £2961
21 New Season Lambs sold to 463ppk or £210
750 Prime Hoggs sold to 458ppk or £212
103 Cast Ewes/Rams sold to £276
Prime Bulls (40) – Bulls a touch sharper this week as a dozen of the forty passed £3000 and nine sold over 400ppk; a better show admittedly but nice to see the sale averages rise 20ppk and over £200 on the week to level up at 363ppk and £2659. British Blonde bulls ruled the roost per kilo when a cracking run from F & JS Gargett, Westwick Farm set the pace, the pick of them at 701kg sold for 434 pence; following at 425ppk was another classy Blonde from Westwick followed by a shapely British Blue from D Alderson, Bowl Turner at 423ppk. Hexham based TW Dinning, Watch Currock led the gross values with a thumping 869kg Charolais bull when he sold for 400ppk and £3476; following very close behind was a superbly fleshed 833kg Limousin from JR Knox & Son, Bracks Farm at £3465 and then came a beautiful British Blue cross from WJ Scott Ltd, Low Leam Farm at £3403. Beef Shorthorn crossed bulls at just 14-months-old from S & J Dent & Son, Great Burdon led the native charge this week when they sold to top prices of 361ppk and £2283 whilst the fabulous Friesian feeding of R Hall & Son, Kilton Hall impressed with a top call of 330ppk and £2118.
A few of today’s leading averages:
JR Knox & Son sold 2 (812kg) average 413ppk & £3358
P Langstaff sold 2 (911kg) average 358ppk & £3270
TW Dinning sold 2 (813kg) average 386ppk & £3140
F&JS Gargett sold 5 (764kg) average 410ppk & £3136
Continental Bulls – Top prices ppk 434 425 405×2 386 F&JS Gargett. 423 D Alderson. 416 411 JR Knox & Son. 413 WJ Scott Ltd. 400 370 TW Dinning. 385 372 361 J&A&DA Horn. 373 351 C Binks & Son. 370 JR Tiplady. 367 364 JJ Kemp & Son. 361 357 P Langstaff. 346 341 JM&S Walton. 339 338 J Murray. 337 330 JC&P Tallentire. 332 331 WE&CA Anderson.
Lead Grosing Continental Bulls £3476 £2804 TW Dinning. £3465 £3251 JR Knox & Son. £3403 WJ Scott Ltd. £3309 £3230 P Langstaff. £3252 D Alderson. £3252 £3244 ££3106 £3042 £3037 F&JS Gargett. £2982 JR Tiplady. £2853 £2727 C Binks & Son. £2784 £2436 JJ Kemp & Son. £2742 £2408 £2318 JM&S Walton. £2718 £2700 £2574 J&A&DA Horn. £2462 £2418 £2357 WE&CA Anderson.
Native Bulls – Top prices ppk 361 353 S&J Dent & Son. 325 JC&P Tallentire.
Lead Grossing Native Bulls £2283 S&J Dent & Son. £2219 JC&P Tallentire.
Friesian Bulls – Top prices ppk 330 324 306 R Hall & Son. 288 JC&P Tallentire.
Lead Grossing Friesian Bulls £2118 £2096 £1958 R Hall & Son. £1774 JC&P Tallentire.
Clean Cattle (148) – The best U and E grade cattle look significantly dearer this week, little change for the R and O grades however certainly no further drop in price was apparent. A nice show of heifers averaged a pleasing 408ppk and £2450 whereas a dairy dominated and lightweight offering of steers levelled up at 354ppk and £2355. Three heifers sold in the 480’s per kilo, four followed in the 470’s and nine more followed at 450ppk or more as the shop window types were keenly bid for. Top of the trade at 484ppk was a lovely 578kg Limousin heifer from R Hirst, Neasham Grange, following at 481ppk and 480ppk were Cumbria’s top two from W Miller, High Aketon. Topping the steers per kilo was a beauty up from Nottinghamshire courtesy of PR & V Barlow & Son, Sycamore Farm; a 535kg Limousin he sold for 450 pence per kilo. With less heavy beast on offer, despite the stronger trade none reached £3000 this week, fourteen however sold at £2800 or more. Top of the bill at £2961 was an excellent 630kg Limousin heifer from JE Suddes & Son, Rowley Farm; a 684kg Limousin heifer from TJ Dennis, Howgrave Lodge followed at £2961 and behind that came the top steer at £2912 from WO Grix & Partners, Hill Head.
A Few of today’s top prices ppk:
R Hirst sold 8 (593kg) average 453ppk
W Swinbank & Sons sold 5 (631kg) average 448ppk
W Miller sold 12 (555kg) average 447ppk
A few of today’s lead grossing prices:
W Swinbank sold 5 (631kg) average £2828
A Kitson & Son sold 6 (648kg) average £2768
WJ Scott Ltd sold 6 (632kg) average £2750)
Steers – Top prices ppk 450 433 414 PR&V Barlow & Son. 417 409 Askwiths. 415 408 405 383 370 369 WO Grix & Partners. 394 378 WJ Scott Ltd. 391 367 NE Dyson. 381 A Kitson & Son. 372 JR&B Anderson. 372 351 J Davis. 359 340 338 FS Sturrock & Sons. 352 A&CA Stanwix.
Lead Grossing Steers £2912 £2693 £2689 £2667 £2602 £2394 £2328 WO Grix & Partners. £2836 £2744 NE Dyson. £2834 A Kitson. £2802 £2801 Askwiths. £2738 £2577 WJ Scott Ltd. £2505 £2323 £2286 £2276 £2252 £2237 FS Sturrock. £2407 £2392 £2346 PR&V Barlow & Son.
Heifers – Top prices ppk 484 470 458 452 449 445 443 R Hirst. 481 480 454 450 449×2 442 441 W Miller. 475 474 464 440 WJ Scott Ltd. 470 JE Suddes & Son. 467 459 440 439 438 W Swinbank & Sons. 450 PR&V Barlow & Son. 447 445 440 433 A Kitson. 447 442 Askwiths. 441 G Beadle. 441 JR Tiplady. 438 428 JE Suddes & Son. 434 G&JY Marshall. 430 NE Dyson. 428 TJ Dennis. 426 JV&JA Hodgson.
Lead Grossing Heifers £2961 JE Suddes & Son. £2927 TJ Dennis. £2899 £2864 £2714 £2706 WJ Scott Ltd. £2868 £2844 £2830 £2820 32776 W Swinbank & Sons. £2806 £2799 £2754 £2732 £2686 A Kitson & Son. £2797 £2791 £2707 £2697×2 £2689 £2670 R Hirst. £2720 £2706 JR Tiplady. £2703 £2630 £2551 £2551 W Miller. £2687 RA&BA Ridley & Son. £2684 £2645 JE Suddes & Son. £2671 P&JH Davison. £2654 G Beadle.
New Season Lambs (21) – A new vendor is always appreciated and it was nice to see today Messrs WR Hanson & Son make the 290-mile round trip from Bede Farm, Lincoln with twenty-one tidy Charollais bred lambs. A good return for the travelled firm as they left DfAM with a 440ppk and £203.14 average with top prices of £210 or 463ppk.
Prime Lambs – Top prices ppk 463 447 434 431 428 WR Hanson & Son.
Lead Grossing Prime Lambs £210 £206 £200 £194 £190 WR Hanson & Son.
Prime Hoggs (750) – Trade very similar on paper to see a weighed straight sale average of 370ppk and £176.44 with an SQQ of 383ppk. In real terms the hoggs are likely a touch dearer with many firms down to the sweepings up now, the best end remains easily sold with £200 plus still regularly available. With the best hoggs in short supply it was another successful day for the excellent Beltex of TN Callender, Ox Eye Farm when they topped the prices per kilo at 458 pence with a trio at 46kg and topped the gross values at £212 with two at 49kg. Big fed hoggs traded around £200, export weights out of Mules often 400-410ppk. Amongst the hill sheep we saw heavy Mules twice hit £190, Blackface sold to £184, Cheviot’s reached highs of £170 and both Swaledale and Dalesbred hoggs topped at £139.
Today’s Top Grossing Hogg Averages:
T Johnson sold 11 (62kg) av. £201.82
DL & D Lovegreen sold 2 (67kg) av. £200
TN Callender sold 50 (50kg) av. £199.58
J & A Layfield sold 46 (54kg) av. £197.85
R Atkinson sold 86 (47kg) av. £196.86
Hoggs – Top prices ppk 458 432 429 422 410×2 408 396 392 387 380 TN Callender. 441 439 435 425×2 414×3 PJ&MP Gilhespy. 431×2 422 417 400 R Atkinson. 418 383 WE Frank & Son. 404 400×2 389 377×2 CS Robinson. 397 377 375 374 TW Clark & Son. 397 388 RA&BA Ridley & Son Ltd. 390 380 W.K M.M Lamb. 384 377 J&A Layfield. 381×2 W Allison & Sons. 378 RI Jones. 377 W Walton.
Lead Grossing Hoggs £212 £211 £210×2 £206 £205×2 £203 £200 £198 £196 £195×2 £190×3 TN Callender. £204 £200 T Johnson. £201 Ainsty Farms Direct. £200 £198.50 £196 £194×2 R Atkinson. £200×5 £193 £192 J&A Layfield. £200×2 DL&D Lovegreen. £198 £194 A Suddes. £194 £190 TW Clark & Son. £192 Wytherstone Farm. £192 R Nattrass & Sons. £190 PJ&MP Gilhespy. £190 W.K M.M Lamb. £190 JR Knox & Son.
Cast Ewes & Rams (103) – Ewes dearer and with plenty of flesh forward this week the average rose significantly to an all included £174.02. A heavyweight cross bred ewe from JC Simpson, Hill Top East led the way when she sold for £276, plenty of the bigger better ewes sold between £220 and £260. Some meat amongst the Mules saw them average £165 with a top of £184 from W Wearmouth & Son, Rose Hill; twenty-five fantastic Blackface ewes from LW Martin, Wayworth Farm looked a scorching trade to average £159 with their top ten away at £170 whilst the Swaledale’s were also hot property with two vendors reaching £150.
Lead Grossing Cast Sheep £276 JC Simpson. £260 £230 DL&D Lovegreen. £250 £196 £124 W Denham. £242 £150 JR&JA Wharton. £238 £216 £200 RG Richardson. £220 £202 3200 £170 FP&IM Jefferson. £220 £210 WL Robinson & Partners. £204 £200 £180 I Newton & Son. £190 £170 BG Dale. £188 £170 W.K M.M Lamb. £184 £170 Wytherstone Farm. £184 £150 £120 W Wearmouth & Son. £178 A Suddes.
