Darlington Farmers Auction Mart held their weekly sale of prime stock on Thursday 9th October 2025. Forward were 254 cattle and 2736 sheep.
112 Prime Bulls sold to 416ppk or £3703
54 Prime Steers sold to 443ppk or £3475
88 Prime Heifers sold to 482ppk or £3222
2379 Prime Lambs sold to 411ppk or £198
357 Cast Ewes/Rams sold to £290
Prime Bulls (112) – Numbers good again this week and trade lifted tuppence on average to see them level at 370ppk and £2666 per head. Eighteen bulls made to at least 400 pence per kilo, pick of them all at 416ppk was an excellent 720kg Limousin bull from local feeders AG Watson & Sons, Nunstainton Grange. Next in line per kilo came a super sort from Kelso based WM Fleming, Moss Tower at 413ppk followed by Messrs Hird of Meadow View, Richmond at 412ppk. A marvellous monster from the flying Fleming’s topped the gross values when their 962kg Limousin added up to £3703; four further bulls sold between £3400 and £3500 including a cracker from WJ & AS Bowes & Sons, Stainton Hill House with no less than twenty-five others over £3000. Top of the native bred bulls per kilo was an expertly finished dairy crossed Aberdeen Angus from R Hall & Son, Kilton Hall when he sold for 361 pence, top native in the lump was a brilliant Beef Shorthorn from CH & SE Armstrong when he impressed at £2918. Flying the Friesian feeders flag this week was MA & PD Foster, Smithy House Farm when they twice sold bulls at £2134 with a top per kilo of 331 pence.
Leading bull averages per kilo:
GK, KN & GJ Hird sold 3 average 408ppk
WM Fleming sold 6 average 404ppk
AG Watson & Sons sold 7 average 400ppk
JB Luck & Son sold 2 average 396ppk
TW Clark & Son sold 3 average 395ppk
A&D Proctor sold 2 average 395ppk
Leading bull averages gross:
WJ & AS Bowes & Sons sold 3 averages £3364
WA Richardson Ltd sold 3 averages £3244
J Layfield sold 6 averages £3171
AG Watson & Sons sold 7 averages £3144
LS Staley sold 2 averages £3141
WM Fleming sold 6 averages £3139
Continental Bulls- Top Prices PPK 416 411 408 x2 394 391 AG Watson & Sons. 413 411 410 406 405 385 WM Flemming. 412 410 403 GK KN&GJ Hird. 409 394 387 385 J Layfield. 408 390 386 DW Humphrey. 407 LW Martin. 406 RJ&RJ Airey. 404 403 TW Clark & Son. 398 396 JB Luck & Son. 398 392 A&D Proctor. 397 D Richardson & Co Ltd. 393 388 CH&SE Armstrong. 392 LR Welsh & Co. 392 WJ&AS Bowes & Sons. 391 390 LS Staley. 390 388 x2 M&G Chantrell Ltd.
Lead Grossing Continental Bulls- £3703 £3131 £3118 £3024 £2931 £2928 WM Fleming. £3500 £3310 £3283 WJ&AS Bowes & Sons. £3470 £3401 £3312 £3128 J Layfield. £3408 JB&JA Fenwick. £3352 £3242 £3139 WA Richardson Ltd. £3337 £3222 £3159 £3155 £3072 £3068 £2995 AG Watson & Sons. £3247 JB Luck & Son. £3174 £3108 LS Staley. £3173 £3088 £3044 D Richardson & Co Ltd. £3081 RJ&RJ Airey. £3007 £2925 GK KN&GJ Hird. £2984 £2975 £2952 LR Welsh & Co. £2960 J Layfield. £2937 £2925 DW Humphrey.
Native Bulls- Top Prices PPK 361 350 340 R Hall & Son. 358 352 338 327 CH&SE Armstrong. 336 GW Dobson & Son. 320 JK&CE Farming.
Lead Grossing Native Bulls- £2918 £2449 £2409 £2255 CH&SE Armstrong. £2800 JK&CE farming. £2412 GW Dobson & Son. £2341 £2305 CH&SE Armstrong.
Friesian Bulls- Top Prices PPK 331 319 296 MA&PD Foster. 292 GW Dobson & Son. 272 CH&SE Armstrong.
Lead Grossing Friesian Bulls- £2134 x2 £2119 MA&PD Foster. £1825 CH&SE Armstrong.
Clean Cattle (142) – Healthy numbers in the clean ring again and some special quality up at the top, the best end were very good to sell, particularly in amongst the heifers which averaged a marvellous 438ppk and £2518 whilst an increased volume of steers were of a two-tier standard to see them average 386ppk and £2466. With an excellent seventeen heifers in the 460’s and half a dozen more in the 470’s it was left to just two to fight for the top spot beyond 480ppk. Pick of them all at 482ppk was a super 552kg Limousin from Cumbria’s W Miller, High Aketon Farm which sold to Taylor’s butchers, Darlington. The free-flowing Fleming’s of Moss Tower, Kelso who had earlier impressed in the bull ring just lost out to our leader when they sold a delicious 567kg Limousin heifer at 480ppk. Over twenty steers sold over 400ppk, rampaging up from Rugby to claim the top spot per kilo were Fields Farm with a brilliant 590kg Limousin selling at 443 pence. Following the fabulous Fields Farm steer was a topper from Taylor Bros, Richmond at 440ppk with the pick of a great run from Five Houses next in line at 437ppk. Gross values, seven smashing sorts sold over £3000, top of them all was another Cumbrian crusader as Messrs R Miller Limited of Arkleby Hall showed a sublime 898kg Limousin steer which totalled an excellent £3475. Next on the list at £3222 was our leading lady, a sensational 784kg Limousin heifer from Gerard Quinn of JE Suddes & Son, Rowley Farm; others in the £3k plus club were a pair of well finished steers from AG Watson & Sons, Nunstainton Grange and three more impressive heavyweight steers from Messrs Miller of Arkleby Hall.
Clean Cattle Lead Grossing Top Averages-
AG Watson & Sons, sold 2 (752kg) Average £3090
Messrs R Miller, sold 12 (784kg) Average £2853
NE Dyson, sold 3 (672kg) Average £2806
JE Suddes & Son, sold 4 (650kg) Average £2789
JV&JA Hodgson, sold 12 (608kg) Average £2705
Clean Cattle PPK Top Averages-
WM Fleming, sold 4 (576kg) Average 458ppk
W Miller, sold 13 (559kg) Average 457ppk
JV&JA Hodgson, sold 12 (608kg) Average 444ppk
R Hirst, sold 13 (574kg) Average 443ppk
Fields Farm, sold 11 (581kg) Average 441ppk
Steers- Top Prices PPK 443 431 430 404 Fields Farm. 440 434 426 376 Taylor Bros Ltd. 437 430 428 427 426 418 x3 416 415 Five Houses. 429 409 400 384 374 TW&PT Moss Ltd. 419 387 385 Messrs R Miller Ltd. 413 409 AG Watson & Sons. 386 376 GG Stevenson & Son. 380 TW&PT Moss Ltd.
Lead Grossing Steers- £3475 £3058 £3035 £3013 £2987 £2888 £2805 £2785 £2732 £2679 Messrs R Miller Ltd. £3092 £3089 AG Watson & Sons. £2809 £2568 £2567 £2566 £2558 £2512 Five Houses. £2739 NE Dyson. £2702 £2640 £2613 Fields Farm. £2671 £2556 £2543 £2539 GG Stevenson & Son. £2659 TW&PT Moss Ltd. £2521 £2516 Taylor Bros Ltd.
Heifers- Top Prices PPK 482 478 470 469 468 462 458 455 450 W Miller. 480 474 466 WM Fleming. 473 468 458 447 Fields Farm. 470 469 463 Five Houses. 470 464 461 460 453 452 451 450 x2 449 M&G Chantrell Ltd. 469 467 465 464 452 450 449 JV&JA Hodgson. 467 465 461 455 449 R Hirst. 454 J&K Woodward. 449 NE Dyson. 448 JE Suddes & Son.
Lead Grossing Heifers- £3222 £2859 £2553 JE Suddes & Son. £2991 J&K Woodward. £2951 £2644 £2628 Fields Farm. £2887 £2792 NE Dyson. £2871 £2862 £2851 £2814 £2792 £2768 £2752 £2694 £2610 JV&JA Hodgson. £2750 £2729 £2696 £2650 £2593 £2584 £2582 £2566 R Hirst. £2747 £2726 £2701 Five Houses. £2721 £2637 £2625 £2586 WM Fleming. £2684 £2667 £2660 £2642 £2566 £2565 £2556 £2541 £2537 W Miller. £2642 SH Watson & Son. £2554 A&D Proctor.
Prime Lambs (2379) – Numbers good, quality varied. Heavy, hopper fed lambs very much in demand, lightweights easy to sell however there was some resistance, as there is nationally, for the mid-range 43-48kg grass fed sorts. The weighed straight sale averaged 304ppk and £140.03 per head with an SQQ average of 308ppk. Top per kilo at 411 pence were a smart pair of 45kg Beltex lambs which sold for an impressive £185 apiece. The top gross values went the way of an incredible run of pet lambs from A C Simpson & Son, McNeil Farm; the top dozen thumpers from the Simpson pen tipped the scales to a mighty 65kg and sold for £198 per head, as you will see below in the averages the forty-two McNeil Farm pets levelled up at an amazing £182. The heavies remain in excellent order with £165 to £185 regularly on the radar whilst the best bred and fed continental lambs traded 340ppk to 360ppk, those not just hitting the spec the eight active buyers were chasing sat closer to 300ppk but all things considered they remain healthy at around 30ppk ahead of this week last year which was itself 20ppk higher than the same week in 2023.
Lambs Top Averages-
AC Simpson & Son, sold 42 (58kg) Average £182
Winsbury Farm Partners, sold 7 (55kg) Average £176
JC Simpson, sold 30 (54kg) Average £174
T Lawson & Son, sold 22 (53kg) Average £165
DK Barker, sold 22 (50kg) Average £163
Lambs- Top Prices PPK 411 357 William Tindale. 368 345 P&CM Graham. 361 350 B Cowton. 355 RO Gilson. 354 346 340 334 331 325 AWSM Farms. 354 D&HM Hodgson. 353 351 348 337 x2 331 R Atkinson. 350 337 336 JC Hope & Son. 342 JA&A Herbert. 342 CK&D Muir Ltd. 341 Thornbrough Farm. 340 329 O Chapman & O Parkin. 339 336 HT Davies & Partners. 339 S Bolton. 338 328 x2 DK Barker. 338 331 PJ Tindale. 338 DG&PD Ayre. 338 330 327 K Hall. 333 JA Walton. 333 Askwiths. 333 JC Simpson. 328 C&V Harrison. 328 N&LL Brown & Son. 326 324 Dickinson Styford. 325 K&PM Lough. 325 G Bolton. 325 TW Dinning.
Lead Grossing Lambs- £198 £191 £187 £183 £182 £180 £174 £173 AC Simpson & Son. £190 £178 £167 O Chapman & O Parkin. £189 £180 D&PH Brown. £185 £168 £165 £160 William Tindale. £180 W Simpson. £180 £174 Winsbury Farm Partners. £180 £166 £165 x2 T Lawson & Son. £180 x2 £172 £170 JC Simpson. £176 £164 DK Barker. £170 £162 M Pickering. £170 £157 AWSM Farms. £170 D&HM Hodgson. £166 P&CM Graham. £166 £160 R Atkinson. £165 £159 £157 K Hall. £162 £160 £157 Askwiths. £160 JK&CE Farming. £160 RW Shann & Sons. £159 Dickinson Styford. £159 £158 J&A Layfield. £158 Anthony Tindale. £158 x2 £157 TW Dinning. £158 JE Lockey & Son. £157 G Bolton. £157 S Thompson. £157 JJ Horn.
Cast Ewes & Rams (357) – The ewe trade looks easier, in particular the lean meat was very hard to place and way off the pace seen recently in the green Monday sale ring; a handful of exceptions to this today look a distorted price compared to the masses. Out on her own at a massive £290 was a sensational pure Texel ewe from JC Thwaite & Son, Crag Hill Farm. One or two other Texel’s hung on to her coat tails as DK Barker, Little Ketton reached £230 and RG Richardson, East Farm had a pair at £201.
Lead Grossing Cast Ewes- £290 £90 JC Thwaite & Son. £230 £180 DK Barker. £201 £158 £150 £110 £100 RG Richardson. £192 £128 £100 x2 £100 £84 PM Hill. £177 £174 £124 JM&S Walton. £172 M&A Gaskin. £158 HT Davies & Partners. £150 £124 £120 x2 £82 Wytherstone Farm. £145 £140 M Pickering. £140 £110 TN Callender. £124 £105 J Lovegreen. £120 £100 Rose A Farms Ltd. £120 RE Dickson. £112 TA&J Swinbank. £110 JA&A Herbert. £110 CK&D Muir Ltd. £110 JK Gill & Son. £100 £90 J&A Layfield. £90 TP&RL Swinbank. £88 PM Hill. £86 JJ Horn. £86 £84 D Turford.
