Meet our Judges

2026 Open Show - Iain MacKay

(Cnoc na Sith Fold, Torloisk Farm, Isle of Mull, Scotland)

​

Growing up on his family's tenanted hill farm, Edentaggart, in Glen Luss above the shores of Loch Lomond, Iain has spent his entire life farming livestock in the type of environment for which Highland cattle were originally developed. From an early age he gained hands-on experience working with pedigree Highland cattle in a traditional Scottish hill system, where stock had to be functional, hardy and able to thrive on rough grazing with minimal intervention.

​

Today, Iain is the tenant farmer of Torloisk Farm, a 8,000-acre hill farm on the north-west coast of the Isle of Mull off the west coast of Scotland. There, he manages an extensive livestock enterprise comprising pedigree Highland cattle and a large flock of Cheviot sheep. Torloisk is a challenging environment of steep hills, native rough grazing, Atlantic weather and high annual rainfall, meaning that the cattle are constantly tested and challenged.

​

Iain established his first pedigree Highland fold, Na-Gleann, in the early 1990s, before founding today's Cnoc na Sith Fold. Starting with only a handful of carefully selected females and a modest budget, his priority was never to chase fashion, but to build a herd from strong functional foundations. Every breeding decision centred on producing productive, long-lived females capable of thriving in an extensive, low-input system while consistently rearing quality calves from poor quality rough grazing.

​

That philosophy remains unchanged today. Fertility, temperament, structural correctness, sound locomotion, maternal ability and longevity are the cornerstones of the Cnoc na Sith breeding programme. Iain firmly believes that if you consistently breed good females, good breeding bulls naturally follow. The cattle are selected to work with the environment rather than against it, retaining the natural hardiness, foraging ability and efficiency that have defined the Highland breed for centuries.

​

This approach to cattle breeding has paid off not only at home but also in the sales ring at the Oban spring Highland sale in February 2026, when Jock of Cnoc na Sith was sold for 34,000 guineas, setting a new UK breed record for a Highland bull. This bull was the result of combining several carefully selected homebred female bloodlines. More importantly to Iain, however, the wider herd including females has earned a reputation for producing practical, functional Highland cattle that perform in real-world farming systems.

 

Alongside breeding, Iain has judged Highland cattle for more than thirty years as a member of the Highland Cattle Society's official judging panel which he joined as one of its youngest-ever members in his late teens. His appointments have taken him throughout Scotland and England, as well as internationally, including National Shows in Germany, Denmark and Switzerland. He has also served the breed in a number of other roles, including as a Council Member of the Highland Cattle Society on several occasions, as a society field officer, and as chair of the committee which organized the most recent International Highland Cattle Gathering in October 2025. Iain remains passionate about promoting Highland cattle as productive, commercially relevant livestock as well as one of the world's most iconic breeds.

 

What Iain looks for in the ring

​

Iain's judging philosophy is firmly rooted in the traditional Highlander. He is looking for cattle that remain true to the breed's original purpose and demonstrate the natural qualities that have enabled Highland cattle to thrive for generations in some of the harshest grazing environments in the world.

 

Structural correctness, sound locomotion and athleticism are fundamental. As a true hill breed, a Highland should move freely, efficiently and confidently over difficult ground. Breed character matters and females should display femininity, quality and strength, while bulls should possess genuine masculinity, power and presence.

​

Particular attention is paid to those practical traits that underpin functionality and longevity. Iain looks for width through the muzzle, a sufficiently long jaw and good mouth conformation to maximize grazing efficiency; width carried throughout the body; strong feet and legs; good pelvic capacity and other physical indicators of fertility. A naturally docile temperament is another essential attribute.

 

Iain is not simply looking for the biggest or the flashiest animal in the ring. He is looking for the Highlander that best represents the breed's heritage—a naturally functional, fertile, efficient and hardy animal that could still do the job its ancestors were bred to do on the hills of Scotland.

 

Today, Iain continues to develop the Cnoc na Sith Fold on those same principles, breeding cattle that are expected to earn their place in the herd through productivity, longevity and sound functionality. His greatest satisfaction comes from producing Highland cattle that remain true to the breed's traditional character while excelling in practical, low-input farming systems.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​