Darlington beef cattle trade tops at £1,600

The trade for beef remains strong in the last month, with numbers down nationwide and prices for prime cattle on the up.

The sale of cast, store and breeding cattle at Darlington Mart this week (11 August) met good trade, trade topping at £1,600.

Leading trade was a six-year-old Blonde D’Aquitaine cow with her four month old Limousin bull calf at foot, from Castlewood Farm. Buyer was J J Kemp and Son, Elstob Hill Farm.

Next at £1,383 was a nine-year-old Limousin bull from regular consignors D and P H Brown, Cordilleras Farm. This one sold to John Lancaster, Thoralby.

Leading price a kilo was 150p, paid for a Limousin cow from M Dorman, Stanghow House.

The top priced steer came from R Hall, High Crookleith Farm, when his 20-month-old British Blue sold for £1,170.

Leading heifer prices at £1,055 was a two-year-old Shorthorn from DSM and AJ Gibson from Cut Thorn Farm.

A good show of young bulls met solid trade, headed by a 17-month-old British Blue from A Tunstall, Lyndale House, which sold for £1,055.