Darlington Farmers Auction Mart held their weekly sale of prime stock on Thursday 6th November 2025. Forward were 243 cattle and 2274 sheep.
74 Prime Bulls sold to 450ppk or £3486
51 Prime Steers sold to 465ppk or £3220
118 Prime Heifers sold to 500ppk or £3435
2095 Prime Lambs sold to 512ppk or £210
179 Cast Ewes/Rams sold to £250
Prime Bulls (74) – The bull trade was bouncing for bonfire night as a noticeable lift saw today’s offering average a brilliant 393ppk and £2813 per head. Four pound was easily found, as a matter of fact the top eighteen bulls rocketed to 420ppk and beyond. Fireworks from the Fleming’s set the pace as a stunning 711kg Limousin from Messrs WM Fleming, Moss Tower, Kelso topped the prices per kilo at a remarkable 450 pence. The Moss Tower masterclass continued with bulls at 437ppk and 438ppk however the Kelso firm didn’t have exclusivity on the top spots as A & D Proctor, Swarland Old Hall produced a smart Limousin at 340ppk and Messrs Hird of Meadow View twice reached 438ppk. Gross values; a tremendous twenty-nine bulls sold over £3000 this week, no surprises up at the top as the fling Flemings set the pace again with an 809kg Limousin reaching £3486. Second place on the leader board went to regular supporter LS Staley, Bluestone House Farm at £3427 with a credible third going to a thumping British Blonde from JJ Horn, Bushy Park at £3419. Not so many natives and Friesian’s on offer however those presented were in high demand to see Aberdeen Angus top from ER & GI Younger, High Trewhitt Farm at 390ppk and £2402 and Friesian bulls peak at 328ppk and £2386 from MA & PD Foster, Smithy House.
Bulls- Leading Gross Top Averages-
WM Fleming sold 6 (765kg) Average £3338
JJ Horn sold 2 (829kg) Average £3232
SH Watson & Son sold 2 (769kg) Average £3166
LS Staley sold 2 (813kg) Average £3157
Bulls- PPK Top Averages
GK KN&GJ Hird sold 2 (659kg) Average 438ppk
WM Fleming sold 6 (765kg) Average 436ppk
A&D Proctor sold 2 (655kg) Average 435ppk
JJ Kemp & Son sold 2 (677kg) Average 420ppk
Continental Bulls – Top prices ppk 450 438 437 432 431×2 WM Fleming. 440 430 A&D Proctor. 438×2 GK KN & GJ Hird. 436 SH Watson & Son. 429 423 394 390 LR Welsh & Co. 429 426 426 418 391 N White. 421 419 JJ Kemp & Son. 420 415×2 412 410 J Layfield. 419 397 394 390 386 P&E Roger. 419 404 398 TW Clark & Son. 416 LS Staley. 395 GW Dobson & Son. 394 385 JJ Horn. 392 387 ER&GI Younger. 391 389 J Norman.
Lead Grossing Continental Bulls £3486 £3369 £3368 £3318 £3290 £3199 WM Fleming. £3427 LS Staley. £3419 £3045 JJ Horn. £3326 £3007 SH Watson & Son. £3321 £3267 £3116 £3061 £3029 J Layfield. £3217 £3043 £2987 N White. £3207 GW Dobson & Son. £3205 £3136 £3021 TW Clark & Son. £3137 £3108 £3014 £2983 £2965 P&E Roger. £3084 J Norman. £3074 GK KN & GJ Hird. £3042 £3007 LR Welsh & Co. £2956 A&D Proctor. £2955 JJ Kemp & Son.
Native Bulls – Top prices ppk 390 ER&GI Younger. 365 IE&AC Teasdale.
Lead Grossing Native Bulls £2402ER&GI Younger. £2379 IE&AC Teasdale.
Friesian Bulls – Top prices ppk 328 325 304 MA&PD Foster. 290 GW Dobson & Son.
Lead Grossing Friesian Bulls £2386 £2314 £2250 MA&PD Foster. £1948 GW Dobson & Son.
Clean Cattle (169) – The biggest show for quite some time and a super trade throughout as the butchers and wholesalers are now in full flow hanging beef for the December rush. The solid steers averaged 398ppk and £2618 whilst an excellent offering of heifers levelled at a stunning 439ppk and £2701 per head. The brilliant show of heifers was certainly in high demand as prices hit 500 pence per kilo when a sweet 554kg Limousin from JV & JA Hodgson, The Grange went under the hammer. Nine other heifers sold between 490ppk and 499ppk including five more from the hot Hodgson’s plus one each for R Hirst, Neasham Grange, AC Simpson & Son, McNeil Farm, JB Luck & Son, Milestone House and also WL Robinson & Partners, Prospect House. Twelve further heifers sold 480ppk to 489ppk as the lovely show impressed from start to finish. The steers per kilo were dominated by loyal Leicestershire supporters M & G Chantrell Ltd, Flash Farm as they turned out the top nine prices per kilo between 444ppk and 465ppk, best of all was a 605kg Limousin. A miraculous thirty heifers joined five steers the top side of £3000; few can feed them like the Aberdeenshire firm of Messrs WA Fettes, Braes of Enzie and the returns for the flying Scotsmen were testament to their unbelievable travelled run of heifers. The frankly fabulous Fettes females topped at £3435 for an 818kg Charolais, followed at £3423 and £3411 with Limousin’s and £3385 with a 43-month-old British Blue. Power prevailed in the steer gross value race also, none came close to the fine Cumbrian feeding of Messrs R Miller Ltd, Arkleby Hall as they broke £3000 on five occasions to a top of £3220 with a 915kg Limousin.
Clean Cattle- Leading Gross Top Averages
WA Fettes sold 19 (731kg) Average £3216
AC Simpson & Son sold 3 (637kg) Average £3055
Messrs R Miller Ltd sold 10 (793kg) Average £3034
Clean Cattle- PPK Top Averages
AC Simpson & Son sold 3 (637kg) Average 479ppk
JB Luck & Son sold 3 (582kg) Average 476ppk
WM Fleming sold 4 (629kg) Average 473ppk
JV&JA Hodgson sold 10 (575kg) Average 468ppk
Steers – Top prices ppk 465 460 455 452 451 450 448 447 444 438 436×2 M&G Chantrell Ltd. 438 422 Five Houses. 438 433 428×2 Taylor Bros. 430 A Swinbank & Son. 430 JE Suddes & Son. 424 420 408 395 388 Messrs R Miller. 422 412 Lawson & Son. 417 408 RO Gilson. 407 404 IE&AC Teasdale. 395 A&CA Stanwix. 384 372 360 358×2 FS Sturrock & Sons.
Lead Grossing Steers £3220 £3188 £3124 £3104 £3076 £2987 £2962 £2932 £2882 £2863 Messrs R Miller. £2924 £2706 £2688 Lawson & Son. £2813 £2775 £2726 £2718 £2716 £2701 £2552 M&G Chantrell Ltd. £2664 £2631 £2577 RO Gilson. £2650 IE&AC Teasdale. £2650 Five Houses. £2592 FS Sturrock & Sons. £2589 Taylor Bros. £2571 JE Suddes & Son.
Heifers – Top prices ppk 500 499 496×2 494 490 460 JV&JA Hodgson. 496 474 458 R Hirst. 494 480 464 AC Simpson & Son. 491 480 460 JB Luck & Son. 490 WL Robinson & Partners. 489 483×2 466 Messrs WA Fettes. 487 486 468 465 Five Houses. 486 460 Renton Highlaws Ltd. 484 470 468×2 468 M&G Chantrell Ltd. 482 480 Lawson & Son. 480 478 468 WM Fleming. 476 W Swinbank & Sons.
Lead Grossing Heifers £3435 £3423 £3411 £3385 £3355 £3289 £3271 £3259 £3224 £3207 £3182 £3160 £3144 £3096 £3094 £3084 £3071 £3045 Messrs WA Fettes. £3311 £3062 Lawson & Son. £3190 WI Suddes & Son. £3155 £2975 PJ&ES Rogerson. £3136 £3076 £2952 AC Simpson & Son. £3117 £2965 £2917 W Swinbank & Sons. £3018 £3004 £2977 £2920 WM Fleming. £2945 Rentons Highlaws Ltd.
Prime Lambs (2095) – Ten buyers ringside ensured that the healthy numbers offered kept trade more than competitive to see the sale average 330ppk and £149.56 per head with an SQQ of 337ppk. A few special pens this week stole the show, none more so than our star pair of 41kg Beltex lambs from P & CM Graham, Dyance Farm which sold for £210 each (512.2ppk). Twelve tremendous 42kg Beltex lambs from R Atkinson, High Greenbury followed the leaders when they sold for £205 (488.1pk) along with five 40kg superstars from J & S Barnes, Skip Bridge Inn Farm at £191.50 (478.8ppk). Leading the heavies at £201 was a thumping pair of 67kg Texel’s from W Wearmouth & Son, Rose Hill Farm then the same Weardale feeders helped the Mule lambs mount a strong challenge when selling to £164 (52kg) whilst the top Mule’s per kilo were a pen of eighteen at 45kg from A Hall & Son, Barker House at 317.8ppk (£143).
Lambs- Leading Gross Top Averages
R Atkinson sold 134 (45kg) Average £178
Scott Farming sold 15 (55kg) Average £177
J&S Barnes sold 19 (46kg) Average £171
J&A Layfield sold 43 (51kg) Average £166
Lambs- PPK Top Averages
R Atkinson sold 134 (45kg) Average 393ppk
A Graham sold 3 (41kg) Average 385ppk
P&CM Graham sold 12 (42kg) Average 372ppk
J&S Barnes sold 19 (46kg) Average 372ppk
Lead Grossing Lambs- £210 P&CM Graham. £205 £191 £176 x2 £176 £170 £168 £163 R Atkinson. £201 £188 £180 £164 W Wearmouth & Son. £193 AW Dixon. £191.50 £180 £166 J&S Barnes. £191 £186 £166 JK&CE Farming. £187 £166 W Denham. £180 £177 £170 Scott Farming. £178 £168.50 £165 R Errington & Son. £176 £168 WR Thompson. £176 W Hanson. £173 J Pallister & Sons. £172 JA&A Herbert. £171 PJ Tindale. £171 £166 WKMM Lamb. £170 DA Burn. £169 N Barker. £169 x2 Cole Hill Farm Ltd. £169 JC Thwaite & Son. £169 A Graham. £168 x2 £166 x3 £164 J&A Layfield. £168 R Natrass & Sons. £167 ABP Wilsons. £164 x2 R Wood & Son. £163 P Hutchinson. £163 Victoria Wilson. £163 C Dawson.
Lambs- Top Prices PPK 512 400 P&CM Graham. 488 419 415 400 391 361 354 350 R Atkinson. 478 383 J&S Barnes. 428 368 AW Dixon. 393 368 A Graham. 385 365 346 345 x3 AWSM Farms. 383 363 345 R Errington & Son. 380 JM&S Walton. 377 354 x2 A Hall & Son. 375 HT Davies & Partners. 365 N&LL Brown & Son. 364 ABP Wilsons. 362 352 D&AM Bayles. 360 C Dawson. 357 x2 DG&PD Ayre. 357 351 PJ&MP Gilhespy. 355 349 PJ Tindale. 353 WKMM Lamb. 353 RO Gilson. 353 348 W Denham. 353 J Pallister & Sons. 352 WR Thompson. 351 345 William Tindale. 350 JA&A Herbert. 345 W Hanson.
Cast Ewes & Rams (179) – The ewe story stays the same with the bigger numbers coming forward on a Monday, the really thick flesh remained in demand today however lean meat is much harder to move. All in the ewes and rams this week averaged £134.75. Top price at £250 was a strong Texel tup from Cole Hill Farm Ltd, Elwick whilst the top ewe at £200 was a heavy Suffolk from the same good home. Mule ewes topped at £151 from J & A Herbert, Tees Farm and averaged £109 whilst the best of the horned sheep at £100 was a very lively Swaledale (with a penchant for jumping gates) from W Wearmouth & Son, Rose Hill.
Lead Grossing Cast Sheep- £250 £200 Cole Hill Farm Ltd. £180 £174 £169 £165 £159 £150 £142 AWSM Farms. £180 £145 M&A Gaskin. £168 £140 Gerard Te-Lintelo. £152 James Gilson. £164 £150 £140 G Thompson & Sons. £151 x2 JA&A Herbert. £150 Elemore Hall. £146 A Graham. £145 Victoria Wilson. £145 £140 JM&S Walton. £140 H Emmerson. £140 Allison Devereux Farms. £140 R Errington & Son.
