Dr Peter Selle wins the Australian Poultry Award 2024

By Prof. Eugeni Roura
President, WPSA Australian Branch

Dr Peter Selle has been a dedicated and passionate figure in the Australian poultry industry for over 30 years. He is recognised globally for his outstanding contributions to the field of poultry nutrition, particularly in elucidating the use of phytase and championing research into the nutritive value of sorghum relevant to poultry diets.

Peter completed his BVSc at the University of Sydney in 1967, and then worked in Bayer for over twenty years in various animal industries. In 1991 he found his passion for nutrition research, after joining BASF Animal Nutrition. There he played an integral role in evaluating phytase feed enzymes to obtain APVMA registration, which was granted in 1996. This involved running pig studies at Bunge in Corowa in conjunction with Roger Campbell, Tony Edwards, David Henman and David Cadogan. He also collaborated with Ted Batterham in a weaner study presented at APSA in 1993, which was one of the first experiments to demonstrate the ‘protein effect’ of phytase. Peter led the first Natuphos study in broilers at the University of Sydney Camden Campus in 1996, after meeting Dr Ravi Ravindran at APSS in 1995.This study instigated numerous subsequent studies in exogenous phytase being conducted at the Poultry Research Foundation (PRF). Peter has been pivotal in developing some of the first nutrient matrices for both growing pigs and broilers.

       In 1998, Peter began a part-time PhD, supervised by Wayne Bryden and Ravi, and was awarded the PhD in 2001 for his thesis titled ‘Phytate and Phytase: Consequences for protein and energy utilisation in pigs and poultry’. In mid-2002 he became an Honorary Associate of the PRF, and in 2011, with the support of Aaron Cowieson, became an Adjunct Associate Professor at the University of Sydney.

       Dr Selle has authored and co-authored more than 100 peer-reviewed journal papers, research articles, book chapters, and conference papers. He has written six phytate/phytase reviews in total, two in Nutrition Research Reviews, which have been cited on more than 1200 occasions. A review on phytate and phytase in poultry that he co-wrote with Ravi in 2007 was the most frequently cited paper from 2007 to 2012 in Animal Feed Science and Technology.

       In 2007, Peter started researching sorghum, with the aim of ascertaining why it is associated with sub-optimal broiler performance. He has completed four RIRDC/AgriFutures chicken meat projects, and authored and co-authored more than 20 publications, including two book chapters, two comprehensive reviews and research papers in peer-reviewed journals, alongside numerous conference presentations, in this field. His other areas of expertise include whole grain feeding, wet litter management, amino acid utilisation in reduced-protein diets, and the rate, site and extent of starch and protein digestion and absorption. He is currently contributing to the AgriFutures Chicken Meat Consortium, exploring alternative protein sources for poultry diets, which will have lasting impacts on the sustainability of the poultry industry. Of note, the 33 years of work Peter has dedicated to research and the PRF has been on an entirely voluntary, ‘pro bono’ basis, demonstrating his genuine passion and commitment to the industry.

       Dr Selle is an outstanding mentor to young researchers, evident from the outstanding achievements of Sonia Liu, Christine Sydenham, Ha Truong, Amy Moss, Shemil Macelline and other high-calibre young people who have continued to work in and contribute to the Australian Poultry Science and Industry. He has also participated in every APSS since 1992 and has presented papers at every symposium since 1999 with two invited papers in 2011 and 2015 on different topics. He has been involved in 44 APSS presentations so far and has been Editor of the conference proceeding on seven occasions.

In conclusion, Dr Peter Selle truly deserves to be recognised for his incredible dedication and contribution to the Australian Poultry Science and Industry through his (i) ground-breaking research that is essential for the poultry industry’s sustainability, (ii) extraordinary ability to motivate and mentor, which has produced outstanding young leaders in Poultry Science who will benefit the Australian poultry industry in education and innovation, and (iii) his selfless commitment and example of leadership and generosity.