Compost could play a big part in managing future disease outbreaks in Australia, according to a report in ABC Online.

The Australian National Emergency Management Group says it is already being used in British Columbia to dispose of bird flu-infected poultry and manure.

The Northern Territory‘‘s principal veterinary officer, Kevin Dewitte says composting is a powerful, cheap and simple way to kill viruses.

"Bird flu is quite a weak virus. It‘‘s inactivated quite easily by temperature," he said.

"Normal cooking of poultry at 70 or 80 degrees will kill the virus and I think somebody‘‘s recorded 80 degrees for one minute will destroy most strains of virus.

"At 35 degrees it might survive for a maximum of 4 days. The temperature range for compost is somewhere in the middle there and you‘‘re talking periods of weeks and months to achieve successful composting and it‘‘s certainly enough time to destroy any virus."