Australia remains free from lumpy skin disease (LSD) and foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) and is working to protect that status. The NSW Government is committed to preparing for the worst-case scenario.

The purpose of this research program is to develop LSD and FMD vaccines, demonstrate that they are effective and, most importantly, to demonstrate safety in food producing animals.

Developing sovereign local capacity to produce vaccines against emergency animal diseases is a critical priority for Australian agricultural industries and the economy. Protecting our livestock from devastating animal diseases is an extremely important initiative for Australia. If these diseases were to enter Australia, they would cause major disruptions to our livestock industries. Such disease outbreaks are predicted to have catastrophic market impacts and are likely to impact on a wide range of rural industries, not just livestock production.

The Australian regulatory authorities, Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) and Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority (APVMA), have very strict standards to demonstrate that the vaccine is safe for animals, that there is no safety risk to people who are using these vaccines nor to people who consume animal products from treated livestock.

The mRNA vaccines will be used here in the event of an LSD or FMD outbreak in Australia.

Project value: $14 M

Project partners/collaborators: NSW Department of Primary Industries, Queensland Department of Agriculture and Fisheries, Meat & Livestock Australia, University of NSW RNA Institute, NSW RNA Pilot Facility, Tiba Biotech Boston USA, Canadian Food Inspection Agency Winnipeg, and key international laboratories.