Ringside at….Barnard Castle

Barnard Castle Auction Mart, Durham.

A mixture of regular and new buyers packed the ring at Tuesday’s (29 January) sale, competing for a good entry of 475 cattle. Stores were in good demand, with heifers averaging £876 apiece, steers £1,041 and bulls £925.

Judge Keith Metcalf chose a nine-month-old Limousin steer as his champion animal, with a 13-month-old British Blue heifer picked as reserve. They went on to sell for £1,260 and £1,160, respectively. The first placed feeding bull, a 10-month-old Limousin, fetched £1,130. Top price of the day went to a Limousin steer, at £1,425, with heifers peaking at £1,280 and bulls £1,265.

Over 30-month cattle met a much sharper trade than the previous sale, reaching a top of 173p/kg.