Incorrect stories and false information are circulating throughout several social media platforms that livestock are being injected with vaccines containing messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA), and people can receive the vaccines by eating meat inoculated with it.
According to the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA), vaccines in livestock are currently being used to prevent many illnesses. However, there are currently not any mRNA vaccines licensed for use in beef cattle in the U.S. or worldwide.
NCBA also held a webinar titled “New Vaccine Technologies – An Addition to Our Animal Health Toolbox,” giving facts about how vaccines are used in cattle and information concerning mRNA vaccines.
NCBA said research on mRNA vaccines in livestock has been ongoing and will be used someday only after there has been sufficient research.
USDA states there are several types of vaccines that are novel, including gene-deleted vaccines, live vector vaccines, plant-derived vaccines and DNA vaccines.
There are vaccines using recombinant antigens based on tick vaccine technology, according to the NCBA webinar. The vaccine uses some pathogens so the host’s immune system recognizes the pathogen and develops an immune response to it. It is a subunit that uses a delayed-release carrier to enhance the immune response.
Lastly, animals undergo a withdrawal period before it is processed to ensure no residue remains and the meat is safe to consume.
The controversy has galvanized lawmakers in Missouri to introduce legislation requiring products to be labeled as a “gene therapy product” if it contains genetic material or a genetic change. Legislation has also been introduced in Tennessee that would label meat as free from mRNA.
Rep. Holly Jones (R-MO-88), who sponsored the Missouri bill, told the Cowboy State Daily the public deserves to know what is in their food supply and she doesn’t think the label will be problematic.
“We have to be specific enough that people understand what they’re putting in their body,” Jones. “I believe consumers deserve to have that information.” — Charles Wallace, WLJ editor
