Darlington Farmers Auction Mart held their weekly sale of prime stock on Thursday 9th April 2026. Forward were 239 cattle and 1192 sheep.
59 Prime Bulls sold to 449ppk or £3428
41 Prime Steers sold to 446ppk or £3144
139 Prime Heifers sold to 492ppk or £3322
14 New Season Lambs sold to 500ppk or £229
1050 Prime Hoggs sold to 533ppk or £240
128 Cast Ewes/Rams sold to £298
Prime Bulls (59) – Best quality bulls in short supply, trade very similar in real terms however less on paper given a noticeable lack of the suckler bred sorts; all included the sale averaged 368ppk and £2419. The few fancy sorts available sold very well again as a quartet made it past 440ppk and the next four sold over 430ppk; top of the heap per kilo at 449 pence was a shapely 700kg Limousin from AS & SM Kemp & Son, Heugh Hall. Following the leader was an excellent 767kg bull from LS Staley, Bluestone House when he reached 447 pence which also ensured he was the day’s top gross valued bull at £3428. Other notable achievements saw Heugh Hall check in again at 446ppk and JJ Kemp & Son, Elstob Hill reach 441ppk. With the bull from Bluestone House having secured the top gross value the silver medal went to AS & SM Kemp & Son at £3271 just ahead of a remarkable 867kg Beef Shorthorn from JR Knox & Son, Bracks Farm selling at £3251 (375ppk). A whole host of native breeds and first dairy crosses traded typically 350ppk to 380ppk whilst the pick of the pure black and whites proved to be from R Hall & Son, Kilton Hall at 328ppk and £2028.
Bulls- PPK Top Averages
LS Staley sold 2 (753kg) Average 427ppk
JJ Kemp & Son sold 2 (683kg) Average 420ppk
AS&SM Kemp & Son Ltd sold 5 (653kg) Average 419ppk
C Binks & Son sold 2 (740kg) Average 399ppk
Bulls- Lead Grossing Top Averages
LS Staley sold 2 (753kg) Average £3218
JR Knox & Son sold 2 (849kg) Average £3135
C Binks & Son sold 2 (740kg) Average £2955
JJ Kemp & Son sold 2 (683kg) Average £2871
Continental Bulls – Top prices ppk 449 446 435 430 AS&SM Kemp & Son. 447 407 LS Staley. 441 400 JJ Kemp & Son. 436 388 K Tallentire. 436 C Binks & Son. 408 366 JM&S Walton. 406 390 J Armstrong. 394 370 R Hall & Son. 388 374 J Murray. 378 Williamson. 372 JK&CE Farming. 368 Skelton Farming Ltd.
Lead Grossing Continental Bulls £3428 £3007 LS Staley. £3271 £3190 £3143 £2916 AS&SM Kemp & son. £3215 £2552 JM&S Walton. £3147 £2762 C Binks & Son. £2950 £2792 JJ Kemp & Son. £2888 Skelton Farming Ltd. £2785 £2694 J Armstrong. £2745 JK&CE Farming. £2671 R Hall & Son. £2661 TF Bothroyd & Son.
Native Bulls – Top prices ppk 375 363 JR Knox & Son. 371 352 J Armstrong. 352 329 320 W&R Kemp & Son. 350 JK&CE Farming. 328 K Tallentire. 354 342 329 GS Dowson.
Lead Grossing Native Bulls £3251 £3020 JR Knox & Son. £2418 £2270 J Armstrong. £2605 £2576 £2444 W&R Kemp & Son. £2457 JK&CE Farming. £2361 K Tallentire. £1865 £1850 £1727 GS Dowson.
Friesian Bulls – Top prices ppk 328 R Hall & Son. 298 291 D Walker.
Lead Grossing Friesian Bulls 328 R Hall & Son. £1808 £1702 D Walker.
Clean Cattle (180) – The clean continue at really strong rates proving that last week’s sharp shot with a light show was no anomaly and that the live ring remains by far the best marketing option available. A handy show of heifers went on to average 417ppk and £2539 and a steer offering with a larger proportion of first dairy crosses levelled up at 384ppk and £2582. The top two vendors from last week were at it again as W Miller, High Aketon, Wigton and R Hirst, Neasham Grange once again claimed the top ten places per kilo between them. Willie Miller from the west came out best with a sweet pair of Limousin’s both selling to H Taylor & Sons at 492ppk whilst the pick of the hot Hirst’s run sold at 490ppk. Topping the steers per kilo at 446 pence was a superb 696kg Limousin from MJ & EA Sedgewick, Long Myers Farm; following at 441ppk were the Askwiths of Crook with a smart sort from NE Dyson, Masham next at 437ppk. The top fourteen gross values were all beyond £3000, best of all at £3322 was a beautiful homebred 755kg Limousin heifer from F & R Simpson, Square House Farm. The heavy heifers were on song as next in line at £3289 was a touch of Kelso class, a 37-month-old 751kg Limousin from WM Fleming, Moss Tower. The second Square House heifer followed at £3195 just ahead of HT Davies & Partners, Lough House at £3191 and another Moss Tower machine at £3177. Steers topped in the lump at £3144 from the Askwiths, Low Mown Meadows with LR Welsh & Co, Green Lane Farm next at £3107 and the aforementioned MJ & EA Sedgewick at £3104.
Clean Cattle- PPK Top Averages
W Miller sold 16 (557kg) Average 459ppk
R Hirst sold 12 (589kg) Average 450ppk
B Walker sold 3 (552kg) Average 448ppk
P Weightman & Sons sold 3 (597kg) Average 444ppk
Clean Cattle- Lead Grossing Top Averages
F&R Simpson sold 4 (713kg) Average £3151
MJ&EA Sedgewick sold 3 (702kg) Average £3046
LR Welsh & Co sold 3 (683kg) Average £2979
TC Walton sold 4 (699kg) Average £2863
Steers – Top prices ppk 446 436 419 MJ&EA Sedgewick. 441 427 Askwiths. 437 NE Dyson. 436 434 LR Welsh & Co. 428 417 410 387 Messrs Miller. 414 404 380 WF Hustwit. 412 RA&BA Ridley & Son. 408 372 G&JH Tomlinson & Son. 390 378 LW Martin. 380 HT Davies & Partners. 380 JR&B Anderson & Son. 378 D Walker.
Lead Grossing Steers £3144 £3044 Askwiths. £3107 £2903 LR Welsh & Co. £3104 £3052 £2983 MJ&EA Sedgewick. £2936 £2927 £2783 £2685 Messrs Miller. £2866 £2789 NE Dyson. £2774 £2418 G&JH Tomlinson. £2686 £2595 £2530 WF Hustwit. £2632 £2486 LW Martin. £2561 JR&B Anderson & Son. £2527 HT Davies & Partners. £2509 JV&JA Hodgson.
Heifers – Top prices ppk 492×2 482 480 474 467 463 456 455 448×2 447 450 W Miller. 490 479 475 449×2 445×2 R Hirst. 459 452 443 F&JS Gargett. 458 451 JV&JA Hodgson. 456 454 B Walker. 450 442 F&R Simpson. 450 444 441 P Weightman & Sons. 444 P&JH Davison. 442 438 Askwiths. 440 GK KN & GJ Hird. 439 TW Clark & Son. 439 JE Suddes & Son. 439 JR&B Anderson. 439 LR Welsh & Co. 438 433 430 WM Fleming. 431 HT Davies & Partners.
Lead Grossing Heifers £3322 £3195 £3105 £2983 F&R Simpson. £3289 £3177 £3013 £3003 £2734×2 WM Fleming. £3191 £2883 £2813 HT Davies & Partners. £3065 £2932 £2808 TC Walton. £2928 LR Welsh & Co. £2925 P Weightman & Sons. £2856 £2784 £2695 A&MJ Henshaw. £2821 32734 R Hirst. £2818 £2793 JV&JA Hodgson. £2796 £2766 WJ&AS Bowes & Sons. £2779 £2726 £2691 £2665 £2663 W Miller. £2745 FW Robson. £2714 £2671 F&JS Gargett.
New Season Lambs (14) – Still very early in these parts for the springers to spring in to life but when they do come in numbers the demand looks like it could be exceptionally high. Deborah Whitcher made the journey up from York with fourteen Charollais and Suffolk lambs and looked very well rewarded as they averaged 427ppk and £219 per head. The two top trios went to Roots Farm Shop, East Rounton with the three best reaching 500 pence (44kg @ £220) and another three taking the highest gross value at £229 (52kg).
New Season Lambs – Top prices ppk 500 457 440 423 416 383 333 D Whitcher.
Lead Grossing New Season Lambs £229 £220×3 £215×2 £204 D Whitcher.
Prime Hoggs (1050) – A plainer show on the whole containing a lot more Mule and horned hoggs this week saw the average slip slightly but make no mistake, trade rolls along in great form and the well fleshed continentals of all weights are every bit as dear on the week. Weighed straight the sale levelled at 391.74ppk and £186.03 with an SQQ of 402.33ppk. Top per kilo at an excellent 533 pence was a stunning 45kg Beltex hogg from PJ & MP Gilhespy, Low House, Ponteland when it sold for £240. Smart hoggs from TA Greensit & Sons, Friars Garth plus P & CM Graham, Dyance Farm and TW Dinning, Watch Currock chased the leader in the pence per kilo stakes. Grand national week saw the Gilhespy’s galloping to the top spot per head as they twice hit £240; following at £228 were two thumping North Country Cheviot Hoggs from Victoria Wilson, Calf Close. Others over £220 included another from the Wilson family of Calf Close plus the aforementioned Dinning and Greensit consignments and a couple of great pens from JR Stead & Sons, Park House Farm. More Mules as mentioned which sold to tops of £190 and 380ppk from JR Knox & Son, Bracks Farm whilst the hundred or more horned hoggs were led by Blackface from LW Martin, Wayworth Farm at 381ppk and a tremendous £201.
Prime Hoggs- Lead Grossing Top Averages
CA&JG Skidmore sold 5 (57kg) Average £216
PJ Tindale sold 55 (51kg) Average £209
JR Stead & Sons sold 46 (53kg) Average £207
TW Dinning sold 46 (47kg) Average £207
Hoggs – Top prices ppk 533 478 450 436 426 417 414 PJ&MP Gilhespy. 491 441 431 TA Greensit & Sons. 487 P&CM Graham. 476 473 441 435 TW Dinning. 458 441 424 423 J Hicks. 457 440 434 424 PJ Tindale. 453 A Wilson. 450 407 W Allison & Sons. 450 WE Frank & Son. 447 415 406 JR Stead & Sons. 438 413×2 408 GW Whittington. 428 425 TW Clark & Son. 427 414 O&LW Welford. 425 411 408 CS Robinson. 424 408 407 J&A Layfield. 420 W Allison & Sons. 418 J Pallister & Sons.
Lead Grossing Hoggs £240×2 PJ&MP Gilhespy. £228 V Wilson. £226 £220 £204 £203 £202×2 TA Greensit & Sons. £226 A Wilson. £224 £220 £215 £212 £205 TW Dinning. £224 £220×2 £215 £210×4 £204 £203 JR Stead & Sons. £220 £215×2 £210×3 £208 £200 PJ Tindale. £220 £204 CA&JG Skidmore. £212 £208×3 £207 £200 J&A Layfield. £211 A Graham. £205 O&LW Welford. £204 R Nattrass & Sons. £202 GW Whittington. £201 LW Martin. £200 P&CM Graham. £200 GP&A Carter.
Cast Ewes/Rams (128) – The old ewes are insanely expensive as they averaged over £200 for the second week in a row. Top at £298 was a classy Texel from W Kirk & Sons, Bullmire Farm, the same home followed at £290 ahead of Anna Herbert, West Shaws at £280. Tups topped at £270 from LD Laws, High Village Farm, Bluefaced Leicester ewes sold to £240 from DG Sayers, Hollin Hill, Cheviot’s to £220 from WA Wardman Ltd, Thrushwood and Mules topped at £214 from TW Dinning, Watch Currock. An eclectic mix from IR Appleton, Pudding Poke sold Suffolk’s to £246 and Valais Blacknose to £194 whilst the Wilson’s of Calf Close had both Herdwick’s and Jacobs at £132.
Lead Grossing Cast Sheep £298 £290 £220 W Kirk & Sons. £280 £268 £216 Anna Herbert. £280 £240 £215 £214 £206×2 £202 £198 TW Dinning. £270 £241 LD Laws. £258 £216 P&CM Graham. £250×2 £224 JC Simpson. £248 T Nesbitt & Son. £246 £244 £242 IR Appleton. £240 £218 DG Sayers. £238 £216 £210 £209 JA&A Herbert. £223 £211×2 JE Suddes & Son. £220 WA Wardman Ltd. £212 J Curry. £209 TW Clark & Son. £201 DM McClurg.
