Marcel Egli has been announced as the judge for the prestigious 2026 Diageo Baileys Champion Dairy Cow Competition on Wednesday 19 August at the Virginia Show.

Widely recognised as one of Ireland's premier dairy livestock competitions, the Diageo Baileys Champion Dairy Cow title is regarded as one of the highest honours for Irish dairy breeders.

Sponsored by Diageo Ireland, producers of Baileys Irish Cream, in partnership with Tirlán, the competition celebrates the breeding excellence, stockmanship and family commitment that underpin Ireland's world-leading dairy industry.

Born and raised in Buttisholz, in the canton of Lucerne, Switzerland, Marcel comes from a family with a long-standing passion for pedigree Holstein breeding.

His parents and brother operate the renowned Woodhouse Holsteins herd, comprising around 50 pedigree Holstein cows on a 35-hectare farm, where Marcel developed his knowledge of elite cow families, dairy genetics and stock judging from an early age.

In 2020, Marcel and his wife Fabienne established their own enterprise after taking over Fabienne’s family farm in Les Breuleux, in Switzerland's Jura region.

Today they manage approximately 25 hectares, rearing around 100 pedigree Holstein replacement heifers, while continuing to work closely with the Woodhouse Holsteins breeding programme to develop elite Holstein genetics renowned for outstanding conformation, production, functionality and longevity.

Alongside farming, Marcel has forged an impressive international career in dairy genetics and breed improvement.

Breeding adviser

Since 2014, he has worked as a breeding adviser with Swiss herdbook, helping dairy farmers optimise breeding strategies and genetic progress.

Marcel has been working at Zuechter-Service Ag since May 2026. There, he is responsible for the import and export of cattle to and from Europe.

He has judged some of Europe's most prestigious dairy shows and championships across Switzerland, Germany, France, Austria, Spain, Danmark and the United Kingdom.

His expertise earned him a place on the European Holstein and Red Holstein Confederation (EHRC) Judges Panel, placing him among Europe's elite panel of Holstein judges. In 2024, he was selected to judge the National Holstein Show at UK Dairy Day, one of Britain's most prestigious pedigree dairy events.

Ptit Coeur Holsteins

Marcel has also managed the show team for the internationally acclaimed Ptit Coeur Holsteins, one of Switzerland's leading exhibition herds, and is a partner in Genetics Sale, a specialist company organising elite dairy cattle sales across Europe, where he is also an auctioneer.

Members of the Irish Holstein Friesian Association (IHFA) and Holstein NI have until 12 August to enter online at the Virginia Show website.