The microbiological quality of food of animal origin is receiving widespread scrutiny as outbreaks of food-borne disease are increasingly reported in developed countries. In Australia, the pig industry has embarked on a national program to define and enhance the quality, including microbiological quality, of pig meat. The National Pig Meat Hygiene Program (PMHP) is part of this initiative, and aims to develop baseline data for microorganisms on pig meat, including public health pathogens, and to develop and implement management strategies to enhance the microbial quality of Australia\u27s pig meat production. The study reported here measured salmonella contamination on pig meat and carcases sampled nationwide, and adapted and validated an enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for evaluating the salmonella infection status of pig herds
