Darlington Farmers Auction Mart held their weekly sale of prime stock on Thursday 24th July 2025. Forward were 207 cattle and 1566 sheep.
70 Prime Bulls sold to 428ppk or £3796
24 Prime Steers sold to 430ppk or £2924
111 Prime Heifers sold to 464ppk or £2879
2 OTM sold to 302ppk or £1926
1321 Prime Lambs sold to 441ppk or £213
33 Prime Hoggs sold to 270ppk or £160
212 Cast Ewes/Rams sold to £200
Prime Bulls (70) – A very smart top end ensured that the sale averages of 375ppk and £2750 per head were way out in front of pretty much every other auction in the land. The leading eighteen bulls sold over 400 pence per kilo, of these three made it to the 420’s which included our sale topper a superb 657kg Limousin from Foxton Livestock, Abbey Farm at an impressive 428ppk. Following at 425ppk was a smart 677kg Limousin from S & J Dent & Son, Great Burdon Farm with a good sort from W J & A S Bowes & Sons, Stainton Hill House completing the top trio at 420ppk ahead of seven other bulls between 414ppk and 419ppk. An impressive twenty-five bulls sailed over £3000, the top five of these went beyond £3500. Pick of the pack was a thumping 966kg Limousin from I E & A C Teasdale, High Farm, Beadlam Rigg which sold for £3796, following at £3690 was a 909kg Limousin from Messrs Renton, High Highlaws ahead of a 900kg bull from J E Jordon & Son, Longhirst at £3663. Beef Shorthorn’s topped the native breeds this week when Messrs Williamson, Southview, Todhills topped the prices per kilo at 356 pence and A G Watson & Sons, Nunstainton Grange led the prices per head at £2953.
A few of the day’s top pen averages are listed below.
Foxton Livestock sold 2 average 422ppk
S & J Dent & Son sold 2 average 419ppk
A C Simpson & Son sold 4 average 415ppk
Renton Highlaws Ltd sold 3 average 404ppk
L S Staley sold 2 average 401ppk
Renton Highlaws sold 3 average £3531
A C Simpson & Son sold 4 average £3318
L S Staley sold 2 average £3242
Foxton Livestock sold 2 average £3144
W J & A S Bowes & Sons sold 4 average £3117
F & J S Gargett sold 2 average £3063
Bulls Leading PPK – 428 419 Foxton Livestock. 425 414 S & J Dent & Son. 420 416 W J & A S Bowes & Sons. 418(x2) 417 411 A C Simpson & Son. 417 P Weightman & Sons. 409 389(x2) 380 A G Watson & Sons. 407 J E Jordon & Son. 406 404(x2) Renton Highlaws Ltd. 404 T A Horn. 404 398 L S Staley. 403 J K & C E Farming. 393 I E & A C Teasdale. 390(x2) F & J S Gargett. 390 G W Dobson & Son. 389 380 W A Wardman Ltd. 381 G H Farms Ltd. 381 Robert Neill & Partners.
Bulls Leading Gross – £3796 I E & A C Teasdale. £3690 £3502 £3401 Renton Highlaws Ltd. £3663 J E Jordon & Son. £3519 P Weightman & Sons. £3477 Foxton Livestock. £3469 £3316 £3256 £3231 A C Simpson & Son. £3394 £3163 £3024 W J & A S Bowes & Sons. £3325 £3185 £3135 £3025 £2975 £2953 A G Watson & Sons. £3288 £3195 L S Staley. £3154 Robert Neill & Partners. £3065 £3061 F & J S Gargett. £3037 G W Dobson & Son. £2940 W A Wardman Ltd. £2918 G H Farms Ltd.
Clean Cattle (135) – Trade for the best end remains very strong, a touch of resistance perhaps apparent for the R and O grades, that said a lively heifer trade for the butcher’s choices saw them still average 413ppk. A very eclectic run of steers containing largely native breeds averaged 355ppk. Top of the heifers at 464 pence was a sweet 552kg Limousin from the Askwiths of Low Mown Meadows, Crook; the same good feeding followed with a British Blue at 463ppk ahead of a super smart Limousin from W F Hustwit, Morden Southside at 460ppk. Ten more heifers sold between 450ppk and 459ppk and the kilo column showed the desired weights as none of the mentioned top thirteen clocked in over 600kg. The on-song Askwiths completed a double when they also topped the steers per kilo with a shapely 600kg Limousin which sold at 430 pence. Top of the gross values at £2924 was a smart 703kg Limousin from Messrs Grix, Morpeth whilst top of the heifers was a 662kg British Blue from J A & M Boyes Ltd, Strathmore House at £2879. Other vendors selling over £2800 hailed from far and wide as Robert Neill & Partners, Jedburgh and Messrs R Miller, Wigton kept pace along with local feeders J E Suddes & Son, Cornsay Colliery.
Today’s leading Averages:
J E Jordon & Son sold 2 average 451ppk
Askwiths sold 4 average 446ppk
W Miller sold 12 average 442ppk
J E Suddes & Son sold 4 average 440ppk
R Hirst sold 9 average 439ppk
R Neill & Partners sold 2 average 435ppk
Messrs Lawson & Son sold 9 average 433ppk
JA&M Boyes LTD sold 2 average £2821
R Neill & Partners sold 2 average £2800
Messrs Grix sold 3 average £2708
JE Suddes & Son sold 4 average £2702
Messrs R Miller LTD sold 4 average £2649
Steers- Top Prices PPK 430 Askwiths. 423 411 386 384 I Marshall & Sons. 416 344 Messrs Grix. 414 381 Messrs R Miller LTD. 401 JA&M Boyes LTD. 390 382 348 335 G&JY Marshall. 321 318 317 315 314 JP Stephenson & Son.
Lead Grossing Steers-£2942 £2580 Messrs Grix. £2819 £2790 Messrs R Miller LTD. £2762 JA&M Boyes LTD. £2694 £2613 £2458 £2396 I Marshall & Sons. £2580 Askwiths. £2510 £2231 £2222 £2191 £2188 £2180 JP Stephenson & Son. £2425 £2322 G&JY Marshall.
Heifers- Top Prices PPK 464 463 Askwiths. 460 452 449 WF Hustwit. 459 442 JV&JA Hodgson. 459 TW Clark & Son. 458 449 x2 448 445 443 439 R Hirst. 456 454 x2 450 x2 449 447 x3 435 W Miller. 454 448 JE Jordon & Son. 449 447 437 JE Suddes & Son. 447 446 441 440 439 Lawson & Son. 447 N White. 443 437 SH Watson & Son. 437 Robert Neill & Partners. 435 JA&M Boyes LTD.
Lead Grossing Heifers- £2879 JA&M Boyes LTD. £2862 £2738 Robert Neill & Partners. £2851 £2847 £2792 JE Suddes & Son. £2731 £2593 TW Clark & Son. £2731 £2679 £2604 £2572 Lawson & Son. £2729 JR Tiplady. £2728 £2559 £2558 £2528 £2525 R Hirst. £2712 £2676 £2650 £2630 £2617 £2601 WF Hustwit. £2676 £2574 £2561 Askwiths. £2669 £2640 £2608 £2585 SH Watson & Son. £2659 £2590 £2525 JV&JA Hodgson. £2620 Messrs Grix. £2562 £2551 £2530 W Miller. £2560 G&JY Marshall. £2544 Messrs R Miller LTD.
Prime Lambs (1321) – Lambs a shade easier on the week to level at a weighed straight 351ppk and £151.22 per head. Thus said, weight continues to sell great and the heavy lamb producers would see little fluctuation, meat is absolutely key as the creep feeders most probably paid dividends again, leaner grass-fed lambs still competitive but noticeably harder to place. The leading eighty-seven sold over 400 pence per kilo with the top side of one hundred and fifty lambs over £180 per head. Top per kilo was the consistent Caldwell consignor J C Simpson, Hill Top East with eight cracking 43kg lambs at 441 pence; following at 423ppk (46kg) and 420ppk (45kg) were excellent pens of Beltex bred lambs from J V & J A Hodgson, The Grange. Top of the gross values this week was a hefty 57kg Suffolk lamb from M Johnson & Son, Halfway House; next in line at £209 came Namens Leases Farm followed by T Lawson & Son, Sands Farm at £204. Others breaking the £200 barrier on the day were D & P H Brown, Cordilleras Farm, M & A Gaskin, Holdsworth Farm and I Newton & Son, Gibbet Hill.
Lambs- Top Prices PPK 441 416 408 JC Simpson. 423 420 409 395 394 390 381 JV&JA Hodgson. 418 396 M&A Gaskin. 416 AWSM Farms. 414 413 RG Richardson. 409 396 Namens Leases Farm LTD. 409 405 384 DG&PD Ayre. 408 389 GF Whitfield. 404 381 377 PR&V Barlow & Son. 400 383 P&CM Graham. 400 397 P&CM Graham. 397 394 392 376 I&A Holmes. 397 387 x3 HT Davies & Partners. 392 390 GW Whittington Livestock. 390 387 M Johnson & Son. 389 D&PH Brown. 388 J Davis. 386 BR&RI Routledge. 386 381 K&PM Lough. 381 377 JJ Horn. 379 J Pallister & Sons. 378 JD Brannen. 377 376 T Lawson & Son. 377 I Newton & Son. 376 Bridie Fisk. 376 F Shield.
Lead Grossing Lambs- £213 £190 £185 M Johnson & Son. £209 £198 Namens Leases Farm LTD. £204 £188 £185 £182 £180 x2 T Lawson & Son. £203 £179 £172 D&PH Brown. £201 £198 M&A Gaskin. £200 I Newton & Son. £200 AWSM Farms. £198 PR&V Barlow & Son. £197 £196 x2 £190 £187 I&A Holmes. £196 £190 £179 JC Simpson. £195 £186 RG Richardson. £195 £189 £187 £180 JV&JA Hodgson. £195 £192 £191 £177 x2 F Shield. £192 £183 GF Whitfield. £190 I&A Holmes. £187 £185 £180 JJ Horn. £184 P&CM Graham. £181 £175 J Milbank & Sons. £180 R Valks. £179 J Davis. £177 DG&PD Ayre. £175 x2 JR Wilkinson. £175 JR&J Crowe. £175 JA&A Herbert. £174 GW Whittington Livestock.
Today’s leading averages:
M&A Gaskin sold 13 (48kg) Average £200 or 413ppk.
I&A Holmes sold 25 (50kg) Average £193 or 387ppk.
F Shield sold 20 (48kg) Average £188 or 385ppk.
JC Simpson sold 20 (43kg) Average £185 or 425ppk.
JJ Horn sold 12 (49kg) Average £184 or 377ppk.
T Lawson & Son sold 17 (50kg) Average £183 or 364ppk.
Cast Ewes/Rams (212) – Lean ewes less money, flesh still finding a sensible premium but the flying trades of the previous few months look to be behind us in the short term. Top at £200 was a fleshy continental ewe from T Lawson & Son, Sands Farm, plenty of the well covered lowland ewes followed between £140 and £180. Mule ewes sold to a top of £140 from J Milbank & Son, Gayles Fields with the top ten pens of that breed remaining £100 plus. Three thumping Swaledale ewes from J & M J Walton, West Shotton Farm led the hill breeds when they sold for £140.
Lead Grossing Cast Sheep- £200 £170 x2 T Lawson & Son. £180 JG Hall. £170 £130 N&LL Brown & Son. £160 PR&V Barlow & Son. £160 D&PD Ayre. £154 x2 D&J Hunnam & Son. £154 £140 J&MJ Walton. £150 x3 BR&RI Routledge. £150 £140 A Carr. £140 £130 M Gray. £140 £136 J Milbank & Sons. £130 I Spedding. £130 T Johnson. £128 A Wilson. £126 RA Patterson & Son. £125 RD&D Elders & Son.
