In 1997, Australian establishments entitled to produce export meats for the market in the USA began microbiological testing of carcase surfaces for generic Escherichia coli and salmonella species. This was largely in response to the US Final Rule on Pathogen Reduction and HACCP systems. Microbiological testing is now recognized as an essential tool for verifying the HACCP-based QA systems at Australian slaughtering establishments.

Commonwealth inspected abattoirs have since been required to participate in the E. coli and salmonella monitoring (ESAM) program, which is an integral part of MSQA. ESAM requires the testing of carcase surfaces for E. coli to verify process controls, while salmonella testing is required to verify pathogen reduction. Testing carcase surfaces for total viable bacterial counts (TVC) is encouraged to aid in monitoring the effectiveness of the process controls.