The objective was to assess the biosafety risks of pig manure for use as a feedstock for composting. Salmonella
was detected in the manure from half of the 30 pig farms sampled, with 52% of isolates recovered identified
as multi-drug resistant S. Typhimurium. The highest prevalence (60%) was found on Salmonella category 2
and 3 farms i.e. those with medium and high Salmonella seroprevalence, respectively, although this was
not statistically significant. Escherichia coli counts were, however, significantly higher in manure from
Salmonella category 3 farms. Manure separation may be useful as a means of reducing/eliminating pathogens
from manure prior to composting, as manure solids generated using a decanter centrifuge had lower E. coli
and Enterococcus counts than manure. These findings should be taken into consideration when selecting
pig manure for use as a feedstock for compost or other marketable manure by-products.