Mike Coffey and Marco Winters have been announced as Joint Winners of the BISAS and BCBC 2026 Sir John Hammond Award. The award is supported by the Royal Smithfield Club in gifting the Sir Richard Cooper trophy.
The British & Irish Society of Animal Science (BISAS) and the British Cattle Breeders Club (BCBC) are delighted to announce that Professor Mike Coffey and Marco Winters have been named joint recipients of the BISAS & BCBC 2026 Sir John Hammond Award, in recognition of their outstanding contribution to the advancement of UK dairy cattle genetics.
Over more than two decades, Coffey and Winters have worked in close partnership to translate cutting-edge research into practical breeding tools that have improved the health, welfare, productivity and sustainability of the UK dairy herd. Their collaboration has played a central role in modernising national genetic evaluations and accelerating the adoption of genomic selection across the industry.
Among their most significant achievements is the development of the UK’s first genetic evaluation for resistance to bovine tuberculosis (bTB), which provided the foundation for the TB Advantage breeding value now used by farmers to help reduce disease risk and improve herd resilience.
They have also led innovation in the use of milk mid-infrared (MIR) data to predict energy balance in dairy cows—supporting earlier intervention for animals at risk of metabolic stress and helping improve fertility, longevity and overall welfare.
More recently, their work has focused on embedding sustainability into breeding decisions. They were instrumental in the development and national implementation of environmental and efficiency indexes including EnviroCow and Feed Advantage. These tools enable farmers to select animals with lower emissions and improved feed efficiency, contributing to reduced carbon footprint while maintaining productivity.
Together, they have also helped guide the UK’s transition to modern genomic evaluation systems, improving the accuracy of breeding values and supporting faster genetic progress across health, fertility and performance traits.
Professor Coffey, of SRUC and EGENES, has led a distinguished career in livestock genetics research spanning more than 25 years and is internationally recognised for his work on fertility, feed efficiency and resilience traits.
Mr Winters, of AHDB, has over two decades of experience shaping national breeding goals and driving industry adoption of genetic tools, ensuring that scientific innovation delivers measurable benefits at farm level.
Their combined work has delivered healthier, more resilient cows, improved welfare outcomes, reduced environmental impact and enhanced profitability for dairy farmers across the UK.
Nick Jonsson, Vice President of BISAS and one of the competition judges, said:
“The Sir John Hammond Award recognises individuals whose work delivers real and lasting impact for both science and industry. This year we received several very strong nominations, however the panel considered that the durable collaboration of Winters and Coffey must be recognised as an example of excellence in scientific research and its application, to the great benefit of the dairy industry
Matt Gue, Chairman of BCBC, a sponsor of the award, added:
“Mike and Marco have been instrumental in ensuring that advances in genetics move beyond research and into practical use on farms. Their leadership has helped deliver breeding tools that improve profitability while supporting better animal health and environmental performance. We are proud to support the Sir John Hammond Award in recognising contributions that make a tangible difference to the future of the dairy industry.”
The Sir John Hammond Award recognises individuals whose work has made a lasting impact on animal science and agriculture. Coffey and Winters will be formally presented with the award at the BISAS 2026 Annual Conference and will jointly deliver the renowned Hammond Lecture on 16th April and at the BCBC conference 25-27th January 2027.