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Mike Takes On New Role
Dr Mike Coffey, Animal Breeding Team Leader (opens in new window)
Dr Mike Coffey has been appointed leader of the Animal Breeding Team of SAC’s Sustainable Livestock Systems Group. He takes over his responsibilities from 1st December. In recent months acting team leader had been Professor Geoff Simm who, from 1st January will become SAC’s Academic Director with responsibilities SAC Research Division and the development of academic strategy.
Mike Coffey has been with SAC for 12 years. He developed the EGENES service for livestock breeders which he will continue to be responsible for. EGENES ranks stock according to national data and allows breeders to make better informed choices about the qualities of the animals they select for their programmes.
Dr Coffey’s research has focused on areas linked to the understanding of the genetics of milk yield, body tissue mobilisation and other fitness-related traits in dairy cattle. He is a strong supporter of SAC knowledge exchange and knowledge transfer activities where the lessons learned from research are passed on to industry and policy makers to maximum effect.
Mike Coffey is excited about the future potential of livestock breeding programmes.
“There are real challenges facing the livestock sector both for food production and addressing the challenges of climate change. By paying careful attention to the genetic merit of the animals we breed from in future we can produce healthy livestock that make a positive contribution. Edinburgh and SAC is at the forefront of this work.”