Darlington Farmers Auction Mart held their weekly sale of prime stock on Thursday 15th January 2026. Forward were 303 cattle and 952 sheep.
84 Prime Bulls sold to 432ppk or £3662
53 Prime Steers sold to 430ppk or £3301
166 Prime Heifers sold to 470ppk or £3465
792 Prime Hoggs sold to 390ppk or £171
160 Cast Ewes/Rams sold to £220
Prime Bulls (84) – The bull trade bounds along nicely to sit thirty pence per kilo and £300 per head in front of the same week last year as today’s sale averaged 370ppk and £2688 per head. Handy weight bulls looked the sharpest of all with a premium apparent for those scaling 600 to 750kg. The top twenty-five sold over 400ppk, three at the very summit all hailed from the Renton Highlaws pen as the Morpeth firm’s homebred sensations sold Limousin’s at 430ppk and 431ppk just adrift of their brilliant British Blue at 744kg selling for 432ppk. Twenty-three bulls sold over £3000, the top three checking in over £3500 consisted of a smart Limousin from AC Simpson & Son, McNeil Farm plus two from JJ Horn, Bushy Park at £3599 and £3662. The Bushy Park brigades best ultimately proved to be a British Blonde at a thumping 902kg. Top of the natives were a pair of well finished Aberdeen Angus bulls from CH & SE Armstrong, Middle Moor Farm which topped at 348ppk and £2664, further Angus bulls from the far travelled E Scott, Linross followed closely behind. Some good Friesian bulls this week looked a sharp trade, the pick of them came from R Hall & Son, Kilton Hall at an excellent 349ppk and from PD Foster, Smithy House at an equally impressive £2455. See below some of the top pen averages.
JJ Horn sold 2 averaged £3630
AC Simpson & Son sold 4 averaged £3301
TW Clark & Son sold 3 averaged £3226
Renton Highlaws sold 8 averaged £3190
LR Welsh & Co sold 3 averaged £3078
SH Watson & Son sold 2 averaged £3026
Foxton Livestock sold 3 averaged 418ppk
JJ Horn sold 2 averaged 415ppk
Renton Highlaws sold 8 averaged 414ppk
AC Simpson & Son sold 4 averaged 413ppk
JJ Kemp & Son sold 3 averaged 410ppk
TW Clark & Son sold 3 averaged 407ppk
Continental Bulls Leading PPK – 432 431 430 424 419 400 394 Renton Highlaws Ltd. 425 CH & SE Armstrong. 425 402 396 L R Welsh & Co. 425 406 JJ Horn. 424(x2) 402 Foxton Livestock. 423 411 TW Clark & Son. 418 416 414 406 AC Simpson & Son. 416 411 403 JJ Kemp & Son. 405 JK & CE Farming. 400 398 J & K Woodward. 390 MTP & SD Wills.
Native Bred Bulls Leading PPK – 348 336(x2) 332(x2) 330 CH & SE Armstrong. 346 E Scott. 300(x2) OS Laws.
Friesian Bulls Leading PPK – 349 R Hall & Son. 343 318 310 PD Foster. 323 JM & S Walton. 292 290 GW Dobson & Son.
Continental Bulls Leading Gross – £3662 £3599 JJ Horn. £3565 £3481 £3461 AC Simpson & Son. £3415 £3219 £3045 TW Clark & Son. £3396 £3387 £3323 £3276 £3217 £3214 £2978 Renton Highlaws Ltd. £3340 £3203 LR Welsh & Co. £3264 CH & SE Armstrong. £3203 £3191 £3010 £2975 E Scott. £3124 £2972 Foxton Livestock. £3063 £2989 SH Watson & Son. £3018 R Hall & Son. £2979 JJ Kemp & Son.
Native Bred Bulls Leading Gross – £2664 £2380 £2355 £2241 £2195 £2145 CH & SE Armstrong. £2553 E Scott.
Friesian Bulls Leading Gross – £2455 £2238 £1879 PD Foster. £2310 R Hall & Son. £2160 JM & S Walton. £2114 GW Dobson & Son.
Clean Cattle (219) – One of the largest shows in recent memory with cattle in attendance from Aberdeenshire to Nottinghamshire and almost everywhere in between. Wholehearted thanks go to all the vendors for their continued support. No glamorization, we always try to tell it as it is and the reality is that trade was down on recent high levels, the wholesale butchers showed a cautiousness seldom seen over the past few months. The glass remains half full however as prices still sit 30-35ppk ahead on the same week last year and still the top twenty clean sold over £3000 to see today’s heifers average 403ppk and £2502 with the steers 380ppk and £2594. Top per kilo was a Borders based beauty as WM Fleming, Moss Tower, Kelso sold a 599kg Limousin heifer for 470 pence. Following the leader at 468ppk was a sweet Limousin from JE Suddes & Son, Rowley Farm with the magnificent Moss Tower pen checking in again at 466ppk. Top steer per kilo was a smart 607kg British Blonde from WJ Scott Ltd, Low Leam; behind the Low Leam lad were two lovely Limousin’s from F & R Simpson, Square House at 429ppk and TN Callender, Ox Eye Farm at 428ppk. All eyes turned to Aberdeenshire for the leading gross values as an extraordinary run of heifers from WA Fettes, Braes of Enzie set the pace. Top of the phenomenal Fettes feeding was a 46-month-old British Blue at 912kg and a whopping £3465, the same home followed at £3378 with a 782kg Limousin and £3354 with a 780kg Charolais. The top three steers in the lump all came from F & R Simpson, Square House Farm; pick of the Simpson selection was a cracking 775kg Limousin which sold for £3301. Some of the highest averages are listed below.
WM Fleming sold 8 averaged 440ppk
JE Suddes & Son sold 4 averaged 431ppk
B Walker sold 3 averaged 430ppk
WJ Scott Ltd sold 9 averaged 430ppk
Renton Highlaws Ltd sold 4 averaged 429ppk
R Hirst sold 13 averaged 425ppk
WA Fettes sold 13 averaged 425ppk
F & R Simpson sold 4 averaged £3182
WA Fettes sold 13 averaged £3126
T N Callender sold 3 averaged £3011
E Buchan sold 7 averaged £2940
Steers – Top prices ppk 430 426 421 WJ Scott Ltd. 429 426 424 418 F&R Simpson. 428 420 411 TN Callender. 426 402 JR&B Anderson. 414 406 Askwiths. 414 411 408 401 389 E Buchan. 414 NL Dalton. 405 392 378 AF Hall. 392×2 379 Messrs Sayer. 392 JC Thwaite & Son. 388 365 Messrs R Miller. 374 MTP&SD Wills. 369 346 340×2 339 338 FS Sturrock. 364 363 362 Reay & Walton.
Lead Grossing Steers- £3301 £3197 £3184 £3045 F&R Simpson. £3181 £3061 £2790 TN Callender. 3065 £2889 £2627 AF Hall. £3043 £3029 £2964 £2960 £2895 E Buchan. £2980 £2752 Askwiths. £2936 £2794 £2690 Messrs Sayer. £2913 £2732 £2610 WJ Scott Ltd. £2816 £2748 £2524 Messrs R Miller Ltd. £2682 FS Sturrock & Sons. £2636 JR&B Anderson & Son. £2562 NL Dalton.
Heifers – Top prices ppk 470 466 448 438×2 436 WM Fleming. 468 457 441 JE Suddes & Son. 454 437 433×2 430 428×2 R Hirst. 453 JR&B Anderson. 452 445 F&JS Gargett. 451 B Walker. 450 446 R Neill & Partners. 450 449 439 434×2 433 432 430 Messrs WA Fettes. 448 442 439 431 WJ Scott Ltd. 446 436 428 Renton Highlaws Ltd. 444 GK KN & GJ Hird. 442 430 Askwiths. 436 433 432 428 JV&JA Hodgson. 436 W Swinbank & Sons. 430 WF Hustwit. 428 Reay & Walton.
Lead Grossing Heifers- £3465 £3378 £3354 £3333 £3224 £3160 £3106 £3064 £3060 £3004 £2871 £2870 £2749 Messrs WA Fettes. £3011 £2792 £2777 £2772 £2769 £2758 £2747 £2696 £2648 R Hirst. £2989 £2911 Messrs R Miller. £2868 £2729 £2709 W Swinbank & Sons. £2868 £2825 E Buchan. £2839 £2837 £2825 £2815 £2781 £2751 £2746 WM Fleming. £2816 £2719 £2679 JV&JA Hodgson. £2809 £2776 Robert Neill & Partners. £2740 J&EM Lawson. £2705 £2699 £2651 WJ Scott Ltd.
Prime Hoggs (792) – Less forward, trade similar on the week to see a weighed straight average of 295ppk and £144.66 per head with most of the firepower shown in the lighter weights giving an SQQ of 321ppk. Top price per kilo went to a smart 41kg hogg from K & PM Lough, Redgate House when it sold for 390 pence; following at 380ppk and £171 were arguably the pair of the day, two cracking 45kg sorts from I Hedley, Bartlemire. WA Warman Ltd, Thrushwood showed a good run of 116 well fed Cheviot and continental hoggs to top twice with heavy sorts at £170 helping them to just nick the top average ahead of a fine run of 50 from J Layfield, New Row and horned hoggs topped at £132 from LW Martin, Wayworth Farm.
Hoggs- Top Averages
WA Wardman Ltd sold 119 (53kg) Average £155
J&A Layfield sold 50 (49kg) Average £154
PD Shepherd sold 7 (59kg) Average £152
M&A Gaskin sold 49 (53kg) Average £151
Lead Grossing Hoggs- £171 I Hedley. £170 x2 168 £163 £160 x7 £157.50 £157 x2 £155 £155 £152 x2 £150 x2 £149 x2 WA Wardman Ltd. £165 £161 WKMM Lamb. £163 £159 PJ&MP Gilhespy. £162 £160 x2 £156 £155 £152 x2 £151 £150 J&A Layfield. £160 £155 x2 £154 M&A Gaskin. £160 £157 £150 K&PM Lough. £156 x2 RE&L Frank. £156 £150 IR Appleton. £155 x2 £150 PD Shepherd. £155 £150 x2 FT Gibbon & Son. £155 £150 JK&CE Farming. £150 x2 DR&RL Burns. £150 Anna Herbert. £150 CH&MC Phalp. £150 W Kirk & Sons. £150 R Nattrass & Sons. £150 J Pallister & Sons.
Hoggs- Top Prices PPK 390 353 348 334 327 K&PM Lough. 380 314 I Hedley. 379 378 334 PJ&MP Gilhespy. 366 365 338 WKMM Lamb. 345 JK&CE Farming. 331 310 WE Frank & Son. 330 327 326 x2 318 316 311 WA Wardman Ltd. 328 318 314 CH&MC Phalp. 325 x3 315 x2 PR&V Barlow & Son. 325 314 312 311 J&A Layfield. 317 312 J Pallister & Sons. 317 C Harle & Sons. 316 M&A Gaskin. 312 W Kirk & Sons. 312 DR&RL Burns. 312 IR Appleton. 312 IW Adamson. 311 RH Wilson & Son. 311 B Willis.
Cast Ewes/Rams (160) – On goes the ewe trade to see an average this week of £135.45. Top at £220 was an exceptional ewe from JG Hall, Middlefield as the fit lowland ewes continued to trade north of £160. Mule ewes hit the heights of £159 from RD & D Elders, High Farm with a breed average of £145. Cheviot Mule ewes topped at £162 from PR & V Barlow & Son, Sycamore Farm and in the horned sheep the top spot went (as it did in the hoggs) to well fleshed Blackface from LW Martin, Wayworth Farm at £97.
Lead Grossing Cast Sheep £220 £180 JG Hall. £200 £170 PD Shepherd Farm. £184 £162 £160 £156 £140×2 PR&V Barlow & Son. £170 £156 £150 G Thompson & Son. £170 £150×2 £143 £140 WA Wardman Ltd. £160 JC&A Metcalf. £159 RD&D Elders & Son. £152 £150×2 E Scott & Sons. £150 EW Grieves. £150 Anna Herbert. £150 J Pallister & Sons. £150×2 £140×3 PJ&MP Gilhespy. £140×2 W.K M.M Lamb. £130 £120 TG Rigg.
