Darlington Farmers Auction Mart held their weekly sale of prime stock on Thursday 18th December 2025. Forward were 135 cattle and 1383 sheep.
34 Prime Bulls sold to 438ppk or £3685
9 Prime Steers sold to 440ppk or £2979
91 Prime Heifers sold to 498ppk or £3087
1 Cast Cow sold for 160ppk and £964
1303 Prime Lambs sold to 441ppk or £200
80 Cast Ewes/Rams sold to £368
Prime Bulls (34) – Low in numbers as the festivities approach, trade sharp to see them average a remarkable 390ppk and £2713 per head. Top prices in a moment but first mention surely must go to Michael Cursiter who made the remarkable five-hundred-mile journey down from Laga Farms, Orkney to become our furthest flung vendor on record here in DfAM; it’s always a pleasure to see a fresh face wherever they hail from. Top of the trade per kilo at 438 pence was a superb 661kg Limousin from LR Welsh & Co, Green Lane Farm; the Welsh pen followed with a terrific 804kg bull at 436ppk and £3505 just ahead of our top grossing bull, a thumping 855kg Limousin from PI Harker, Worsall Grove at 431ppk and £3685. The only native on show was a Beef Shorthorn from the far travelled Laga Farms which sold for 330ppk and £2666 whilst the only Friesian sold came from the consistent R Hall & Son, Kilton Hall and sold for 337ppk and £2150. The next sale of prime bulls will be held on Sunday 4th January 2026, please contact any of the team for marketing advice.
Bulls- Top Averages
LS Staley sold 2 (830kg) Average £3498 or 421ppk
LR Welsh & Co sold 3 (737kg) Average £3186 or 432ppk
JB Luck & Son sold 2 (714kg) Average £2975 or 416ppk
Continental Bulls – Top prices ppk 438 436 423 LR Welsh & Co. 431 PI Harker. 427 K&A Harker. 422 421 LS Staley. 419 414 JB Luck & Son. 408 Taylor Bros. 406 M&R Cursiter Ltd. 400 382 372 ER&GI Younger. 399 347 R Hall & Son. 399 397×2 J Norman. 386 382 380 JM&S Walton. 378 J&A Herbert.
Lead Grossing Continental Bulls £3685 PI Harker. £3518 K&A Harker. £3505 £3159 £3895 LR Welsh & Co. £3498×2 LS Staley. £3168 £2786 £2479 ER&GI Younger. £3018 £2933 JB Luck & Son. £2832 R Hall & Son. £2814 £2794 £2757 J Norman. £2746 £2656 £2655 £2559 £2499 JM&S Walton. £2679 M&R Cursiter Ltd.
Native Bulls – Top prices ppk 330 Laga Farms Ltd.
Lead Grossing Native Bulls £2666 Laga Farms Ltd.
Friesian Bulls – Top prices ppk 337 R Hall & Son.
Lead Grossing Friesian Bulls £2150 R Hall & Son.
Clean Cattle (100) – A smart offering of clean cattle signed off 2025 some ninety pence per kilo ahead of the final fling in 2024; arguably not just as sharp on the week but still very healthy indeed with steers averaging 408ppk and £2596 and the heifers 434ppk and £2531. Four smart heifers found their way beyond 490ppk, half a dozen more sold in the 480’s with the next seven in the 470’s. Top of the pops was a beautiful 572kg Limousin from R Hirst, Neasham Grange at 498ppk, a first mention for a Roxburghshire raider next as a super sort from WM Fleming, Moss Tower followed at 495ppk just ahead of another from Neasham at 493ppk and a bonnie Blue heifer from W Miller, High Aketon at 490ppk. Top of the steers at the end of the calendar year were the Callender family of Ox Eye Farm; two excellent Limousin’s with the best per kilo 440 pence realising £2917 and the top gross value coming from the same pen at £2979. Four vendors sold heifers over £3000, top spot went to the Kelso based Messrs Trotter, Hoselaw Farm with a perfectly fed 705kg Limousin at £3087. Others in the £3k plus club were Masham’s NE Dyson, Gebdykes Farm at £3050 plus the in-form Callender’s of Whinney Hill at £3010 and the consistent JV & JA Hodgson, The Grange, Summerhouse at £3006. The next sale of prime cattle will be held on Sunday 4th January 2026, please contact any of the team for marketing advice.
Clean- Lead Grossing Top Averages
TN Callender sold 3 (676kg) Average £2969
K Trotter sold 5 (639kg) Average £2865
WM Fleming sold 8 (589kg) Average £2743
W Swinbank & Sons sold 5 (614kg) Average £2704
Clean- PPK Top Averages
WM Fleming sold 8 (589kg) Average 465ppk
JV&JA Hodgson sold 8 (577kg) Average 464ppk
R Hirst sold 9 (553kg) Average 452ppk
JB Luck & Son sold 2 (570kg) Average 450ppk
Steers – Top prices ppk 440 430 TN Callender. 419 392 390 Taylor Bros. 413 J Davis. 411 EW Grieves. 394 Reay & Walton. 388 JRP Vickers & Sons.
Lead Grossing Steers £2979 £2917 TN Callender. £2972 JRP Vickers & Sons. £2889 EW Grieves. £2405 £2320 £2285 Taylor Bros. £2370 J Davis. £2226 Reay & Walton.
Heifers – Top prices ppk 498 493 482 454 448 R Hirst. 495 488 479 476 466 451 WM Fleming. 490 488 460 450 446×2 W Miller. 488 484 478 473 471 470 JV&JA Hodgson. 484 440 W Swinbank & Sons. 476 466 443 438 K Trotter. 468 448 445 R Neill & Partners. 454 438 NE Dyson. 453 448 JB Luck & Son. 450 B Walker. 448 TN Callender.
Lead Grossing Heifers £3087 £2936 £2852 £2814 K Trotter. £3050 £2934 £2748 NE Dyson. £3010 TN Callender. £3006 £2923 £2793 £2730 JV&JA Hodgson. £2995 £2798 W Swinbank & Sons. £2986 £2883 £2872 £2765 £2732 £2703 WM Fleming. £2848 £2770 R Hirst. £2752 W Miller. £2745 £2696 WO Grix & Partners. £2714 R Neill & Partners. £2654 JB Luck & Son.
Prime Lambs (1303) – More monetary value than perhaps expected for the shepherds watching their flocks by night this Christmas as the lambs look lively in the last full trading week. All in, weighed straight, todays offering averaged 328ppk with an SQQ of 332ppk which equated to £153.94 per head which is a £10 rise on the week. Seven sweet 44kg Beltex lambs from Angram Livestock, Ripon topped the prices per kilo when they made 441 pence (£194). Smart sorts from both K & PM Lough, Redgate House and JD Brannen, Red Barns proved to be the best of the rest in the pence per kilo standings. Two Christmas crackers led the gross value standings at £200, an excellent 50kg Beltex from R Atkinson, High Greenbury was joined by a colossal 78kg lamb from AC Simpson & Son, McNeil Farm. Plenty of encouragement this week as many, many heavies sold £170 to £200 and the export weight grass-fed lambs out of Mules moved up a gear also with 330-350ppk often achievable. The next sale of prime lambs will take place at 12 noon on Sunday 28th December.
Lambs- Lead Grossing Top Averages
AC Simpson & Son sold 42 (62kg) Average £183
D&PH Brown sold 20 (58kg) Average £180
R Atkinson sold 50 (46kg) Average £179
WA Wardman Ltd sold 116 (52kg) Average £174
Lead Grossing Lambs- £200 £181 £180 £173 x2 R Atkinson. £200 £192 £190 x3 £188 £186 £182 x3 £181 £176 £174 AC Simpson & Son. £194 £184 Angram Livestock Ltd. £191.50 £191 £182 £181 £175 £171 £170 WA Wardman Ltd. £190 £180 JD Brannen. £183 £179 £174 £170 x2 JK&CE Farming. £183 JM Ramsay & Son. £182 x2 £180 D&PH Brown. £180 £172 K&PM Lough. £180 £171 £170 J&A Layfield. £178 £173 DM Tiplady. £178 William Swinbank. £176 G Thompson & Sons. £176 MJ Marley. £170 RO Gilson. £170 WKMM Lamb.
Lambs- Top Prices PPK 440 383 355 342 340 Angram Livestock Ltd. 418 392 372 K&PM Lough. 409 395 381 364 359 JD Brannen. 400 393 384 x2 R Atkinson. 390 369 355 346 342 WA Wardman Ltd. 382 MJ Marley. 375 340 J Milbank & Sons. 372 354 WKMM Lamb. 357 348 AWSM Farms. 357 JW Hutchinson. 356 344 PJ Tindale. 354 349 341 340 J&A Layfield. 352 344 JK Gill & Son. 350 340 M&A Gaskin. 350 Messrs Bell. 349 342 William Swinbank. 348 RW Shann & Sons. 345 GP&A Carter. 344 DM Tiplady. 344 340 x2 JK&CE Farming. 342 Humbleton Farm.
Cast Ewes/Rams (80) – A very light offering and the resulting trade proved exceptional as our yuletide ewes averaged an excellent £155.57. Top of the Christmas tree by some margin was a phenomenal Texel ewe from BI & BM Mosey, Village Farm which sold for a massive £368. A pair from the motoring Mosey’s followed at £272 ahead of a couple of crackers from W & M Knaggs & Son, East Newbiggin at £268. The next sale of cast ewes and rams will take place at 12 noon on Sunday 28th December.
Lead Grossing Cast Sheep £368 £272 £219 £176 £174 £152 £142 £132.50 BI&BM Mosey. £268 £190×2 £179 £106 W&M Knaggs & Son. £254 MJ Marley. £192 BR Lawson. £186 £174 £130×2 WA Wardman Ltd. £170 £161 £158 W.K M.M Lamb. £158 £122 D&J Hunnam & Son.
A normal weekly sale will take place on Monday however that wraps things up for another year on a Thursday. All the directors and staff here at Darlington Mart would like to sincerely wish everyone a very Merry Christmas. Thank you all for your continued support throughout 2025.
