Australian officials “are giving cows mRNA vaccines."
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No, mRNA vaccines aren’t being used on livestock in Australia
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There are currently no mRNA vaccines being used on livestock in Australia.
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Officials in New South Wales said they are prioritizing development of mRNA vaccines for livestock to prevent foot-and-mouth disease and lumpy skin disease. Those are expected to be introduced in August 2023.
An Instagram post claims that the Australian government is giving mRNA vaccines to livestock and that it will affect consumers.
"They are giving cows mRNA vaccine which will pass the vaccine into milk, cheese etc," says a screenshot of a headline shared Oct. 25 in an Instagram post. The screenshot also says, "Dairy farmer are now forced to vaccinate their herd with an mRNA vaccine!"
The caption on the post says, "Do you think this is true?"
The post was flagged as part of Instagram’s efforts to combat false news and misinformation on its News Feed. (Read more about our partnership with Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram.)
The short answer: No, it is not true.
The screenshot from the Instagram post shows an article on Truth11.com, which cites another website called Before It’s News, which then points to an anonymous email as the information’s source.
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"A friend (in New South Wales) informed me today that her neighbor, a dairy farmer, is now forced to vaccinate her herd with an mRNA vaccine!," part of the email reads. "She complied and of the 200 head of cattle, 35 died instantly!"
"The farmer said it is mandatory for all dairy farms to have their herd jabbed with this mRNA vaccine," the email continued.
There are currently no mRNA vaccines being used on livestock in Australia, a spokesperson for the country’s Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry told PolitiFact.
In September, New South Wales officials said they would prioritize "fast-track" development of mRNA vaccines for livestock to prevent foot-and-mouth disease and lumpy skin disease. Those are expected to be introduced in August 2023.
We rate the claim that Australian officials "are giving cows mRNA vaccines" False.
PolitiFact researcher Caryn Baird contributed to this report.
Our Sources
Instagram post, Oct. 25, 2022 (archived)
Truth11.com, "They Are giving Cows mRNA Vaccine • Which Will Pass the Vaccine Into Milk, Cheese etc, Oct. 3, 2022
Government of New South Wales, "NSW fast tracks mRNA FMD and Lumpy Skin Disease vaccines," Sept. 28, 2022
Lead Stories, "Fact Check: mRNA Vaccines For Livestock Are NOT Mandated For Australian Farmers As Of October 2022," Oct. 21, 2022
National Human Genome Research Institute, "Messenger RNA (mRNA)," accessed Oct. 31, 2022
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No, mRNA vaccines aren’t being used on livestock in Australia
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