Prizewinning livestock to the fore at Highland Show
The Royal Highland Show attracted a record 210,000 visitors to Ingliston, Edinburgh, celebrating Scottish agriculture with livestock, machinery and innovation at its core.
Held from 18-21 June, the event welcomed more than 6,000 livestock entries from 2,500 competitors, including 700 cattle, 2,000 sheep and 1,680 light horses.
Dairy cattle entries reached their highest level in more than a decade, while Texel, Beltex and Blackface sheep classes remained among the largest sections.
See also: Royal Highland Show sees livestock entries rebound
David Tennant, head of show at the Royal Highland and Agricultural Society of Scotland, said: “After a rainy start, the sun shone over the final two days, helping to quite literally shine a light on the very best of Scottish agriculture and the hard work, dedication and resilience of our farming community.”
Livestock winners
A total of 327 trophies and £195,000 in prize money were awarded during the four-day event.
The overall sheep interbreed championship, judged by Jim Pate of Gorebridge, Midlothian, was secured by W Ramsay & Sons, Milnmark, with their Blackface champion, marking the family’s 10th breed championship title.
The flock also received the Royal Bank of Scotland Trophy, which rotated to the sheep section this year.
The 2026 supreme beef championship was judged by David Murray of Kirriemuir, Angus, and secured by Mike and Melanie Alford from Devon with their bull Wensleydale Black Voltage Y140.
Their three-and-a-half-year-old animal also secured the Aberdeen-Angus champion title.
Shining bright in the dairy interbreed supreme championship was the Holstein champion Mag Pandor, exhibited by the Laird family, Peeblesshire.
Other winners
The Sir William Young Award, which recognises exceptional contributions to the world of livestock breeding and celebrates the enduring legacy of the late Sir William Young, was presented to Hugh Ramsay MBE.
The John Miller Perpetual Challenge Trophy, awarded in rotation to the best stockperson, went to Moralee Hereford.
The 2026 Queen’s Cup, first presented by the late Queen Elizabeth II in 1960 to commemorate her presidency of the Royal Highland Show, was awarded to the Irish Draught Light horse Corkeeran Willow by William Moran.
The Sanderson Trophy – a major mark of excellence in Scotland’s equine community – was won by Paul and Matthew Bedford with Roughlands Graceful Lady.