Australia develops world-first foot and mouth vaccine to protect livestock
16:55, 4 August 2025
A team of scientists in New South Wales has developed the world’s first mRNA vaccine designed to protect livestocks from foot-and-mouth disease (FMD), a highly contagious viral illness that poses a major threat to livestock, WAM reports.
This FMD vaccine is an mRNA vaccine which is unique in that it is fully synthetic making it safer and much faster to produce.
The development of this new vaccine is part of the Minns Government’s $1 billion biosecurity plan, aimed at safeguarding New South Wales’ US$8 billion livestock sector and reinforcing national food security.
The vaccine has taken less than 18 months to develop and has cost about $2.5 million.
