Australia has developed what it claims is a world-first foot-and-mouth disease vaccine in a bid to ramp up its biosecurity measures.
The state government of New South Wales and international biotechnology company Tiba BioTech created a vaccine which is fast to produce, at a relatively low cost.
In doing so, Australia has become one of the few countries with the capacity to produce its own vaccine for the devastating disease.
Foot-and-mouth is a highly infectious viral disease that affects cattle, sheep, goats, and pigs.
It remains widespread globally and is endemic in many countries, particularly in Africa, Asia and the Middle East. The disease was detected in a sheep flock in Louth in 2001, leading to significant livestock culls and a major clampdown in farming activity.
Ireland remains free of foot-and-mouth but Irish livestock are not vaccinated against the disease.
The Australian government estimates that if a widespread outbreak of foot-and-mouth were to occur on the continent, it could result in a $80 billion (€45bn) economic hit.
The country’s new vaccine took less than 18 months to develop and cost approximately $2.5m (€1.4m).
The work is part of a $20m (€11m) biosecurity project funded by Meat and Livestock Australia (MLA) and the NSW government.
This vaccine is an mRNA vaccine which is unique in that it is fully synthetic making it safer and much faster to produce.
Using this technique, the vaccine can be manufactured without the use of infectious material, an important consideration for safely managing any future outbreak and response.
The vaccine is undergoing further testing to demonstrate it meets the standards set by the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority before it can be approved for use in a disease outbreak.
The Federal Institute for Animal Health of Germany and the University of New South Wales RNA Institute have also had a role in the vaccine’s development and manufacturing.
NSW Minister for Agriculture Tara Moriarty said the vaccine would help safeguard livestock against key biosecurity threats.
“Developing local manufacturing capacity to produce vaccines against emergency animal diseases is a critical priority,” she said.
“If diseases like foot and mouth were to enter the country, it would cause major disruptions to the livestock industry and catastrophic market impacts across rural Australia, so this breakthrough is greatly received.”
MLA managing director Michael Crowley said while he hoped the vaccine was never needed, the research was a proactive approach to managing biosecurity risk.
“Foot-and-mouth disease is present in nearby countries to Australia and is front of mind for industry in terms of potential biosecurity risks,” he said.
“While vaccination may not necessarily be required in the event of an incursion, this research confirms the Australian livestock industry is proactive and prepared.”
Read more
Britain upgrades risk of foot-and-mouth incursion to medium
EU aid for German farmers affected by foot-and-mouth restrictions
Australia has developed what it claims is a world-first foot-and-mouth disease vaccine in a bid to ramp up its biosecurity measures.
The state government of New South Wales and international biotechnology company Tiba BioTech created a vaccine which is fast to produce, at a relatively low cost.
In doing so, Australia has become one of the few countries with the capacity to produce its own vaccine for the devastating disease.
Foot-and-mouth is a highly infectious viral disease that affects cattle, sheep, goats, and pigs.
It remains widespread globally and is endemic in many countries, particularly in Africa, Asia and the Middle East. The disease was detected in a sheep flock in Louth in 2001, leading to significant livestock culls and a major clampdown in farming activity.
Ireland remains free of foot-and-mouth but Irish livestock are not vaccinated against the disease.
The Australian government estimates that if a widespread outbreak of foot-and-mouth were to occur on the continent, it could result in a $80 billion (€45bn) economic hit.
The country’s new vaccine took less than 18 months to develop and cost approximately $2.5m (€1.4m).
The work is part of a $20m (€11m) biosecurity project funded by Meat and Livestock Australia (MLA) and the NSW government.
This vaccine is an mRNA vaccine which is unique in that it is fully synthetic making it safer and much faster to produce.
Using this technique, the vaccine can be manufactured without the use of infectious material, an important consideration for safely managing any future outbreak and response.
The vaccine is undergoing further testing to demonstrate it meets the standards set by the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority before it can be approved for use in a disease outbreak.
The Federal Institute for Animal Health of Germany and the University of New South Wales RNA Institute have also had a role in the vaccine’s development and manufacturing.
NSW Minister for Agriculture Tara Moriarty said the vaccine would help safeguard livestock against key biosecurity threats.
“Developing local manufacturing capacity to produce vaccines against emergency animal diseases is a critical priority,” she said.
“If diseases like foot and mouth were to enter the country, it would cause major disruptions to the livestock industry and catastrophic market impacts across rural Australia, so this breakthrough is greatly received.”
MLA managing director Michael Crowley said while he hoped the vaccine was never needed, the research was a proactive approach to managing biosecurity risk.
“Foot-and-mouth disease is present in nearby countries to Australia and is front of mind for industry in terms of potential biosecurity risks,” he said.
“While vaccination may not necessarily be required in the event of an incursion, this research confirms the Australian livestock industry is proactive and prepared.”
Read more
Britain upgrades risk of foot-and-mouth incursion to medium
EU aid for German farmers affected by foot-and-mouth restrictions
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