Australia’s New South Wales to Invest over $83Mln in Biosecurity

Canberra – Australia’s state of New South Wales (NSW) will invest more than 120 million Australian dollars (about 83 million U.S. dollars) in biosecurity measures to help combat animal diseases, such as foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) and lumpy skin disease.

The state government announced on Monday that the investment will deliver 65 million Australian dollars (about 45 million U.S. dollars) for the development of mRNA synthetic vaccines for both the FMD and lumpy skin disease.

It will also include 55.8 million Australian dollars (about 38 million U.S. dollars) for a response workforce, disease surveillance and on-ground biosecurity risk mitigation and preparedness activities, such as controlling potential infected premises and incentivizing farmers to beef up their biosecurity measures.

Deputy Premier and Minister for Regional NSW Paul Toole said current FMD vaccines are made using the virus itself, meaning if Australia wants to regain FMD-free status after an outbreak, some vaccinated animals still need to be destroyed.