10/06/2026
International Judge Profile - Ewan MacKay
Ewan Mackay is delighted to be invited to judge the Australian Highland Cattle Society’s National Show in 2026.
He has been involved in farming all his life, having grown up on a hill farm on the west shores of Loch Lomond in Argyllshire, Scotland. The farm ran 2,500 ewes and around 30 head of Highland cattle, and it was there that he first developed his passion for the breed while working alongside his father with the Edentagart Fold, which was established in 1974.
Ewan began breeding Highland cattle himself over 20 years ago, establishing the Glengoyne Highland Fold in 2002 with just two cows. Today, the fold consists of 15 breeding cows plus followers, and it remains very much a family effort, run with the help of his wife and their three children, all of whom according to Ewan have been “bitten by the Highland bug”.
In 2011, Ewan was honoured to be voted onto the Highland Cattle Society’s judging panel. The very first show he judged was Campsie Show, a small local event, and since then he has had the pleasure of judging throughout Scotland — from the Isle of Islay in the west to the Angus Show in the east, as well as many shows in between.
One of the highlights of his judging career, and the most notable show he has judged to date, was the Highland Cattle Society Show and Sale in Oban in 2015. Beyond Scotland, he has also judged the Three Counties Show in England in 2024 and the Lower Saxony Show in Germany in 2022.
While Ewan takes judging seriously, he firmly believes it is important to remember that it is ultimately one person’s opinion, and that both judges and exhibitors should enjoy the occasion. Although he does not show cattle very often himself, he regularly enters cattle into the Society sales in Oban each February and October, where he has enjoyed considerable success, including selling bulls for up to 10,000 guineas and heifers to a personal best of 6,000 guineas.
Alongside the Highland cattle, Ewan also runs a smallholding with 200 ewes and operates a fencing contracting business. In what little spare time he has, he still likes to think he can play rugby — although these days it is probably more about the social side of the game than anything else.
Ewan is truly delighted to have been invited to judge this prestigious event.
