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Meat From Animals Infected With mRNA Vaccines May Soon Make Its Way
Into The US Food Supply

Authored by Megan Redshaw via The Epoch Times

Shrimp have become the latest addition to a growing list of food
sources targeted by mRNA gene therapy technology. An Israeli company
seeking to bring mRNA vaccines to shrimp farming has raised $8.25
million from a group of venture capitalists to promote and improve
animal health in marine species through its orally administered
RNA-particle platform.
(Kateryna Kon/Shutterstock)

ViAqua, a biotechnology company, created an RNA-based vaccine product
that uses ribonucleic acid interference (RNAi) to manipulate gene
expression in shrimp. RNAi is a biological process where RNA molecules
are used to inhibit gene expression or translation by neutralizing
targeted mRNA molecules.

The vaccine comes in the form of a coated feed supplement designed to
enhance resistance to white spot syndrome virus (WSSV)—a viral
infection that causes an annual loss of about $3 billion and a 15
percent reduction in global shrimp production. ViAqua suggests RNA
molecules can inhibit the expression of genes that cause disease with
every meal containing its coated product.

According to a 2022 proof-of-concept study, the nanovaccine was
roughly 80 percent effective in a lethal WSSV challenge model and
exhibited excellent in vivo safety profiles. Yet the risks of altering
gene expression in shrimp and the effects of consuming vaccinated
shrimp are unknown.

"Oral delivery is the holy grail of aquaculture health development due
to both the impossibility of vaccinating individual shrimp and its
ability to substantially bring down the operational costs of disease
management while improving outcomes," said Shai Ufaz, CEO of ViAqua in
a press release. "We are excited to bring this technology to market to
address the need for affordable disease solutions in aquaculture."

ViAqua plans to begin production in India in 2024 and believes its
technology has numerous applications in aquaculture and beyond,
according to their press release.
mRNA Vaccines Are Already Used in Pigs

The aquaculture industry is not the only market being targeted with
mRNA vaccines. Genvax Technologies, a startup creating mRNA vaccines
for animals, in 2022 secured $6.5 million in funding to develop a
self-amplifying mRNA (saRNA) platform that allows for rapid
development of a herd or flock-specific vaccine matched 100 percent to
the circulating variant at the root of a disease outbreak.

Genvax’s technology involves inserting a specific transgene or “gene
of interest” matched to the variant strain into the platform. The
saRNA then generates an antibody response without requiring the whole
pathogen to be matched to the circulating strain.

In April 2022, Genvax was awarded a $145,000 grant by the Foundation
for Food and Agriculture Research to develop an saRNA vaccine for
African swine flu (ASF) in collaboration with the U.S. Department of
Agriculture. ASF is a highly contagious virus with a 100 percent swine
mortality rate but has never occurred in the United States.

According to a 2022 paper published in eClinicalMedicine, saRNA
technology uses lipid nanoparticles (LNPs) to encapsulate saRNA. When
injected as a vaccine, the LNP encapsulation facilitates “endosomal
uptake and release into the cytoplasm of target cells in vivo.” This
novel technology has “significant and previously untested potential”
to be used in drugs and vaccines.

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Genvax isn’t the first company to harness mRNA technology in pigs.
Merck, in 2018, introduced SEQUIVITY, a “revolutionary swine vaccine
platform” that uses RNA particle technology to create “customized
prescription vaccines against strains of influenza A virus in swine,
porcine circovirus (PCV), rotavirus and beyond.”

SEQUIVITY uses electronic gene sequencing to generate RNA particles
that, when injected into an animal, provide instructions to immune
cells to translate the sequence into proteins that act as antigens,
similar to how the COVID-19 vaccine causes the body to generate spike
proteins. The idea is that the animal’s immune system, when challenged
with the actual live pathogen, will recognize the antigen and elicit
an immune response.

According to Merck, their RNA participle technology allows for the
development of a “safe and flexible” custom swine flu vaccine in only
eight to 12 weeks compared to traditional vaccines that take years to
develop.

Although it is claimed vaccines utilizing RNA technology are safe and
effective, studies appear to be scarce with little to no research to
determine what effects consuming pork from vaccinated pigs may have on
the human body.
mRNA Vaccines in Cattle Raise Concerns Among Producers

According to the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, mRNA vaccines
are currently not licensed for use in U.S. beef cattle. The vaccines
are being developed to treat and prevent diseases in cattle, whose
meat could make its way to the dinner table.

Ranchers-Cattlemen Action Legal Fund United Stockgrowers of America
(R-CALF USA), a national, non-profit organization with more than 5,000
members dedicated to ensuring the continued profitability and
viability of the U.S. cattle industry, has raised concerns over using
mRNA vaccines in cattle.

In April 2023, R-CALF USA met with medical doctors and a molecular
biologist regarding the status of mRNA injections in the global
protein supply chain. Veterinarian Max Thornsberry reported that some
researchers have found that mRNA and its coded virus could pass to
humans who have consumed dairy or meat products from an mRNA-injected
animal.

Mr. Thornsberry raised concerns about the full impact and unknown
long-term effects of consuming meat from animals injected with mRNA
vaccines and called for more extensive research. Although the United
States has not yet approved an mRNA vaccine for use in cattle, the
country is increasing imports of beef from other countries that either
vaccinate cattle with mRNA vaccines or plan to.

“This points to the urgent need for MCOOL (mandatory country of origin
labeling),” Mr. Thonsberry said. “Consumers deserve the right to
choose whether to consume beef from a country where mRNA injections
are being given to cattle, and the only way they can have that choice
is if Congress passes MCOOL for beef.”

R-CALF USA plans to develop a policy direction for the organization at
an upcoming meeting, but “strongly reinforces the need for mandatory
country of origin labeling” of beef immediately so that American
consumers will know if the beef they are buying comes from a country
that is using the controversial mRNA technology in their cattle.

In an op-ed posted on its website, R-CALF USA CEO Bill Bullard said
the organization has been attacked for its position and accused by
pharmaceutical-backed publications of "fearmongering and
misinformation."

“Iowa State University researchers submitted a multi-year research
project to the U.S. Department of Agriculture to test a cattle mRNA
vaccine system for bovine respiratory syncytial virus (RSV)
infection,” Mr. Bullard said.

“According to the submission, researchers planned to test the mRNA on
cattle during the second year of the project with a completion date of
2026. It would be naïve not to assume that such a research project
signals an effort to obtain approval for mRNA injections in U.S.
cattle,” he added.

Mr. Bullard encouraged others not to “simply trust the pharmaceutical
companies and the government” and says his organization “intends to
learn the truth by continuing to disclose differing scientific
findings, seeking more research into the long-term effects of mRNA
injections for cattle, and demanding more transparency from
pharmaceutical companies and the government."

Meanwhile, the organization has stated it believes people have a right
to know whether the meat they consume has come from animals injected
with mRNA technology.

Several states have already drafted or proposed legislation seeking to
require the labeling of products derived from animals administered
mRNA vaccines, including Tennessee, Idaho, Arizona, Texas, and
Missouri.