Projects per year
Personal profile
Research interests
My main area of interest is dairy cattle breeding and identification of appropriate selection goals that meet as many stakeholders requirements as possible. The number of traits incorporated into the selection goal for all species is increasing which brings challenges when traits have unfavourable correlations. Of particular note is the mobilization of body energy by dairy cows - some is desirable since it adds to efficiency in both economic and environmental terms. Too much mobilisation creates unwanted correlated responses in fertility, health and welfare and concomitant losses in environmental impact efficiency. Balancing traits according to their value requires economic values that are intriguing to calculate when the trait has societal value. The construction of overall indices is an area of great interest since it alone produces the change in the national dairy cattle population. Bringing component science into systems work has unique aspects of interest especially in identifying where tradeoffs have to occur and what the magnitude of the tradeoff is.
Consultancy
Getting research results out to farmers and causing (positive) change in their behaviour as a result produces personal rewards especially as their profit increases. Genomic selection is an infant technology and only time will tell how successful it will ultimately be. Improving tools over time will be required. Overall, genetic selection that includes any phenotype is of interest in all species. Determining the best route to market in the shortest time also brings different, but interesting nonetheless, challenges.
Teaching
I teach on the SRUC Agriculture degree course to Animal Science and Agriculture students. I lecture to practising Vets on the Diploma in Bovine Reproduction delivered at Liverpool University.
As part of the Agritech Centre, Agrimetrics, I led on the development of a CPD course, Vetnomics, a course for the agri and vet industries practioners on genetic and genomic improvement in livestock.
I also teach in an ad-hoc manner to a number of audiences around the country but usually farmers on courses organised by Vet practices, RABDF and other extension services.
Education/Academic qualification
PhD, University of Edinburgh
Award Date: 1 Nov 2003
Bachelor, University of Nottingham
1979 → 1981
Award Date: 1 Jul 1981
External positions
President, British Cattle Breeders Club
1 Jan 2018 → …Vice President (Science), European Association of Animal Production
2014 → 2019Fingerprint Dive into the research topics where Mike Coffey is active. These topic labels come from the works of this person. Together they form a unique fingerprint.
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Network
Recent external collaboration on country level. Dive into details by clicking on the dots.
Projects
Welsh Sheep Breeding Project
Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board
1/08/19 → 31/01/24
Project: Research
Predicting TB status of dairy cows from mid infra-red spectral data using machine learning
Coffey, M., Denholm, S. & Brand, W.
1/01/19 → 31/12/20
Project: Research
Aetiopathogenesis and genomic architecture of resistance to claw horn disruption lesions in dairy cattle
2/12/18 → 1/12/21
Project: Research
Database and reporting system to support Signet's Sheepbreeder and Beefbreeder Services
Krzyzelewski, T., Moore, K., Hamper, A., Wells, A., Brand, W. & Coffey, M.
1/04/18 → 31/03/23
Project: Research
Research Output
Dairy cows: In the age of the genotype, #phenotypeisking
Coffey, M., 1 Apr 2020, In : Animal Frontiers. 10, 2, p. 19-22 4 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Comment/debate
Open Access
File
1
Citation
(Scopus)
1
Downloads
(Pure)
Energy profiling of dairy cows from routine milk mid-infrared analysis: Energy Profiling From MIR Spectra
Smith, SL., Denholm, SJ., Coffey, MP. & Wall, E., Dec 2019, In : Journal of Dairy Science. 102, 12, p. 11169-11179 11 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article
Open Access
File
1
Citation
(Scopus)
10
Downloads
(Pure)
The genetic architecture of bovine telomere length in early-life and association with animal fitness
Ilska-Warner, JJ., Psifidi, A., Seeker, LA., Wilbourn, R. V., Underwood, S. L., Fairlie, J., Whitelaw, B., Nussey, D. H., Coffey, MP. & Banos, G., 25 Oct 2019, In : Frontiers in Genetics. 10, 1048.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article
Open Access
File
Association of milk MIR-derived body energy traits with fertility parameters in cows
Smith, SL., Coffey, MP. & Wall, E., Feb 2018.Research output: Contribution to conference › Poster
Bovine telomere dynamics and the association between telomere length and productive lifespan
Seeker, LA., Ilska, JJ., Psifidi, A., Wilbourn, RV., Underwood, SL., Fairlie, J., Holland, R., Froy, H., Salvo-Chirnside, E., Bagnall, A., Whitelaw, B., Coffey, MP., Nussey, DH. & Banos, G., 24 Aug 2018, In : Scientific Reports. 8, 12748.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article
Open Access
File
6
Citations
(Scopus)
14
Downloads
(Pure)
Prizes
Queen's Anniversary Prize
Wall, Eileen (Recipient), Coffey, Mike (Recipient) & Roberts, Dave (Recipient), Oct 2017
Prize