Darlington Farmers Auction Mart held their weekly sale of prime stock on Thursday 4th December 2025. Forward were 243 cattle and 1683 sheep.
104 Prime Bulls sold to 430ppk or £3563
40 Prime Steers sold to 447ppk or £3190
98 Prime Heifers sold to 492ppk or £3330
1 Cast Cow sold to 220ppk and £1577
1393 Prime Lambs sold to 381ppk or £180
290 Cast Ewes/Rams sold to £270
Prime Bulls (104) – Numbers healthy, a lot of weight mixed through saw the whole sale average 370ppk and £2633. Difficult to make a comparison following last week’s sensational sorts at the Christmas show, however, the handy weights would look sharp enough whilst some of the heavies would be slightly harder to place. Seventeen bulls sold over 400 pence per kilo, the top three were all excellent Limousin’s from CH & SE Armstrong, Middle Moor Farm, the pick of them a tremendous 674kg bull which sold for 430 pence. Twenty-five fine fellows sold over £3000, cementing their status at the top of the heap for the second week running were AS & SM Kemp & Son, Heugh Hall with a thumping 909kg British Blue at £3563. Next in line at £3473 was a smart British Blonde from JJ Horn, Bushy Park with a Limousin from Heugh Hall filling the third position at £3337. Beef Shorthorn bulls led the natives this week as both the aforementioned Armstrong’s and also R Hall & Son, Kilton Hall topped at 354ppk, the Kilton Hall edged the gross value race at 668kg bringing him to £2364. The Friesian bulls looked a nice trade, tops went to GW Dobson & Son, Wood Close Farm at £2103 whilst the best per kilo at an impressive 346 pence was a handy weight sort from GS Dowson, East Barmby Farm.
Leading Averages Per Kilo
JJ Horn sold 2 averaged 412ppk
JB Luck & Son sold 2 averaged 392ppk
J Layfield sold 6 averaged 392ppk
D Richardson & Co sold 5 averaged 390ppk
K & A Harker sold 2 averaged 388ppk
Leading Averages Gross
JJ Horn sold 2 averaged £3345
K & A Harker sold 2 averaged £3177
D Richardson & Co sold 5 averaged £3173
F & JS Gargett sold 3 averaged £3146
AS & SM Kemp & Son sold 8 averaged £3126
Continental Bulls Leading PPK
430 429 421 395(x2) CH & SE Armstrong. 418(x2) 398 N White. 417 414 404 J Layfield. 416 JB Luck & Son. 414 K & A Harker. 414 410 JJ Horn. 412 394 392 391 AS & SM Kemp & Son. 410 LR Welsh & Co. 405 397 391 D Richardson & Co. 403 J & K Woodward. 401 396 TW Clark & Son. 397 F & JS Gargett. 396 J M & S Walton. 392 JJ Kemp & Son.
Native Breed Bulls Leading PPK
354 348 320 R Hall & Son. 354 CH & SE Armstrong. 346 342(x2) GS Dowson. 332 JA & A Herbert.
Friesian Bulls Leading PPK
346 GS Dowson. 327 310 306 Tallentire. 304 292 GW Dobson & Son.
Continental Bulls Leading Gross
£3563 £3337 £3164 £3069 £3013 £2991 £2959 £2959 AS & SM Kemp & Son. £3473 £3218 JJ Horn. £3314 £3172 £2952 F & JS Gargett. £3310 £3245 £3199 £3098 £3015 D Richardson & Co. £3229 £3125 K & A Harker. £3191 £2946 TW Clark & Son. £3177 £3171 £3062 J Layfield. £3110 £2991 CH & SE Armstrong. £3107 £3004 JB Luck & Son. £3033 JJ Kemp & Son. £3013 LR Welsh & Co.
Native Breed Bulls Leading Gross
£2364 £2314 £2195 R Hall & Son. £2329 CH & SE Armstrong. £2188 £2147 £2141 GS Dowson.
Friesian Bulls Leading Gross
£2103 £2076 GW Dobson & Son. £1991 £1853 £1701 Tallentire. £1878 GS Dowson.
Clean Cattle (138) – Far from the stunning quality of last week with a significantly increased number of R and O grade dairy crosses on offer; despite the more commercial show the trade remained absolutely excellent as the steers averaged 404ppk and the heifers 433ppk. Butcher’s heifers are still bouncing along merrily with the top nineteen over 470ppk and twenty others over 450ppk. Pick of the pack was a terrific 550kg British Blonde from WJ Scott Ltd, Low Leam when she reached 492ppk, following closely were Limousin heifers from W Swinbank & Sons, Greystones at 489ppk and JE Suddes & Son, Rowley Farm at 488ppk. The impressive team Low Leam were also at the top of the steers, but they had company; selling at 447ppk was a 665kg Limousin from the Scott’s and a handy 583kg Limousin from Taylor Bros, Belle Isle. The runaway winner in the gross value standings was an exceptional 793kg Limousin heifer from R Hirst, Neasham Grange when she sold for a brilliant £3330, top of the steers in the lump gains yet another mention for WJ Scott Ltd as they set the pace with a 742kg Limousin at £3190.
Clean Cattle – Top grossing averages:
JE Suddes & Son, Rowley Farm sold 5 (623kg) average 458ppk & £2858
W Swinbank & Sons, Greystones sold 7 (604kg) average 468ppk & £2831
WJ Scott Ltd, Low Leam sold 10 (614kg) average 451ppk & £2777
WR Thompson, Sloshes Farm sold 4 (653kg) 420ppk & £2749
Clean Cattle – ppk Top averages:
W Swinbank & Sons, Greystones, sold 7 (604kg) average 468ppk
W Miller, High Aketon, sold 15 (536kg) average 462ppk.
JE Suddes & Son, Rowley Farm sold 5 (623kg) average 458ppk
R Hirst, Neasham Grange sold 10 (602kg) average 452ppk
Steers – Top prices ppk 447 438 Taylor Bros. 447 436 434 430×2 414 WJ Scott Ltd. 442 W Swinbank & Sons. 438 428 424 420 417 410 407 Five Houses. 437 G Beadle. 434 420 419 409 WR Thompson. 428 TN Callender. 425 423 420×2 TW&PT Moss Ltd. 423 A Swinbank & Son. 419 415 RW Spry. 390 P&N Tattersall.
Heifers – Top prices ppk 492 486 484 480 WJ Scott Ltd. 489 485 479 468 464 454 W Swinbank & Sons. 488 480 457 454 JE Suddes & Son. 482 480 478×2 476 475 466×2 464 460 458 W Miller. 470 470 468 459×2 455 448×2 R Hirst. 471 TW&PT Moss Ltd. 470 468 448 447 445 JV&JA Hodgson. 465 NE Dyson. 460 440 JC Thwaite & Son. 456 G Beadle. 455 448 TN Callender. 455 P&N Tattersall. 452 Five Houses. 446 Taylor Bros.
Lead Grossing Steers- £3190 £2972 £2911 £2616 £2586 £2450 WJ Scott Ltd. £2912 £2740 £2698 £2646 WR Thompson. £2850 W Swinbank & Sons. £2777 TN Callender. £2688 £2652 £2636 £2584 £2469 £2413 Five Houses. £2647 Anthony Swinbank. £2608 G Beadle. £2606 £2588 Taylor Bros Ltd. £2490 RW Spry. £2457 £2444 TW&PT moss Ltd.
Lead Grossing Heifers- £3330 £2928 £2889 £2711 £2681 £2661 £2656 £2611 R Hirst. £2999 £2817 £2680 NE Dyson. £2984 £2707 £2706 £2652 WJ Scott Ltd. £2973 £2951 £2914 £2860 £2672 £2596 W Swinbank & Sons. £2916 £2901 £2897 £2893 £2683 JE Suddes & Son. £2787 £2676 £2634 £2588 £2563 £2518 JV&JA Hodgson. £2730 £2728 TN Callender. £2672 £2635 £2603 £2597 W Miller. £2647 Anthony Swinbank & Son. £2587 P&JH Davison. £2567 G Beadle. £2564 Taylor Bros Ltd. £2525 P&N Tattersall. £2522 P Langstaff.
Prime Lambs (1393) – The lambs are harder work everywhere this week and DfAM was sadly no exception, prices down £10 on average to see the sale average a weighed straight 297ppk and £138.11 with an SQQ of 305ppk. Top per kilo at 381 pence were a sweet pair of 42kg Beltex lambs from AS Whitfield, Low Castledene, following at 375ppk and 368ppk were further smart Beltex from D & AM Bayles, Osmond Flatt. Claiming the top gross value was the heavy weight feeding of AC Simpson & Son, McNeil Farm with a 65kg Charollais lamb at £180, of the ten pens at £170 and beyond the McNeil lambs claimed seven of them with the others in the mix J & S Barnes, D & PH Brown and Rebecca Appleton.
Lambs- Lead Grossing Top Averages
AC Simpson & Son, sold 40 (59kg) Average £167
JK&CE Farming, sold 14 (58kg) Average £156
D&PH Brown, sold 20 (54kg) Average £153
R Atkinson, sold 76 (45kg) Average £151
MJ Marley, sold 10 (49kg) Average £151
Lambs- Top Prices PPK 381 345 335 333 318 AS Whitfield. 375 368 D&AM Bayles. 355 348 340 333 330 329 R Atkinson. 350 R Errington & Son. 340 333 J&S Barnes. 337 320 HT Davies & Partners. 337 A&PA Jopling. 333 JE Parlour. 333 328 325 x2 318 AWSM Farms. 331 325 JJ Horn. 330 Reay & Walton. 326 R Wood & Son. 325 S&S Davies. 322 JA&A Herbert. 319 HG Thompson. 316 J Pallister & Sons.
Lead Grossing Lambs- £180 £172 £170 x5 £168 £165 x2 £163 £162 x3 AC Simpson & Son. £170 J&S Barnes. £170 £160 D&PH Brown. £170 £162 Rebecca Appleton. £167 £157 I&A Holmes. £161 CM Cameron. £161 G Thompson & Sons. £160 TE Dobson. £160 W Kirk & Sons. £160 £158 R Atkinson. £160 £156 JK&CE Farming. £160 AS Whitfield. £158 £157 D&AM Bayles. £156 MJ Marley.
Cast Ewes & Rams (290) – Ewes remain a straight shot however still those leaner types look better sold through the store ring on a Monday. Top at £270 was a strong Texel from JJ Horn, Bushy Park however with her out of the equation it was typically £160 to £190 for the stronger continentals. A good show of flesh in the Mules saw them top twice at £150 and the seventy-eight forward average £117.45. Blackface led the hill ewe prices at £85 with Herdwick’s and Swaledale both topping at £80, as for the tups it was a thumping Blueface Leicester from TE Dobson, Unthank Farm leading the way at £200.
Lead Grossing Cast sheep £270 £160 £140×2 JJ Horn. £200 £170 TE Dobson. £190 £170×2 £160 £150 £144 £140 £130 WA Wardman Ltd. £186×2 £162 £150 £140 AWSM Farms. £180 M Robson. £170 £162 £150 PR&V Barlow & Son. £160 £150 £140 £138 JW&DW Laing. £158×2 G Thompson & Sons. £150 £140 A Pennell. £150 £130 R Appleton. £148 £144×2 CS Robinson. £140 JM&S Walton. £140×2 K&PM Lough.
