Manure management during African swine fever outbreak: identifying gaps through a narrative review

African swine fever (ASF) is a significant threat to the pork industry, a sector vital to food security and the agro-economy within Canada and across the globe. While ASF has not yet been introduced to Canada, its recent detection in the Americas highlights the urgent need for preparedness and effective response strategies to mitigate viral transmission in the event of its incursion on Canadian soil. Appropriate disinfection of contaminated materials is crucial to strengthening biosecurity measures. In particular, manure could serve as a reservoir for the virus, and appropriate treatment protocol must be established to eliminate manure as a source of ASF spread. However, literature to inform effective corrective actions are sparse and inconsistent. The goal of this narrative review is to provide readers with a basic understanding of ASF virus (ASFV), socioeconomic and environmental impacts of ASF, common manure management practices, and how manure treatment practices can promote or hinder biosecurity in the event of an ASF outbreak. This paper also compiles relevant publications to begin a necessary discussion on safe treatment methods and containment strategies to reduce the spread of the virus, as well as to identify and bridge critical gaps between ASFV and manure management to inform the development of effective manure management protocols, thereby enhancing Canada's preparedness for a potential ASF outbreak.