WASHINGTON, D.C. - Leading farm organizations from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) to the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) were quick to shoot down a rapidly-spreading social media rumor asserting that all pigs and cows in the U.S. would be required by law to receive an mRNA vaccine. 

In early April, a Facebook post trumpeted “BREAKING NEWS: the lobbyists for the cattleman and pork associations in several states have CONFIRMED they WILL be using mRNA vaccines in pigs and cows THIS MONTH.” An original tweet asserting the claim was shared more than 25,000 times, according to USA Today. This led to a social media rumor that the animals would be injected as a way to indirectly expose people who choose not to get vaccinated to the vaccine. The rumor was quickly debunked by the NCBA and USDA, but not before the rumor mill was churning away on Facebook and Twitter.

“There are no current mRNA vaccines licensed for use in beef cattle in the United States. Cattle farmers and ranchers do vaccinate cattle to treat and prevent many diseases, but presently none of these vaccines include mRNA technology,” the NCBA stated in a news release.

In addition, mNRA vaccines licensed for use in pigs, cats and dogs contain “numerous biological differences compared to the COVID-19 mRNA vaccines used in humans,” said Marissa Perry, a spokesperson for the USDA. “There is no requirement or mandate that producers vaccinate their livestock for any disease. It is a personal and business decision left up to the producer and will remain that way,” she added.

Based on claims with very little data, certain advocates against mRNA vaccines are concerned that mRNA vaccines are in use and development in livestock, according to Dr. Kevin Folta of the University of Florida Horticultural Sciences Department. Additionally, critics are concerned these vaccines may then be present in the food the animals provide, Folta told news sources.

The misleading claim has reached the level of state legislatures and agriculture departments. In Missouri, House Bill 1169 aims to require a label for meat from animals treated with an mRNA vaccine, identifying the “potential gene therapy product.” The bill falsely claims that mRNA vaccines would modify the genes of the organism, Folta told Farm Journal’s Pork magazine in April.

In Texas, Agriculture Department Commissioner Sid Miller issued the following statement: “Since news of the development of mRNA vaccines and mRNA-related treatments for livestock came to the attention of the Texas Department of Agriculture, we have been working towards developing a fact and science-based assessment of the risks associated with this technology. Our analysis will include the clinical research, the structure of existing Texas law, and the public policy, economic, and production impact of the different policy prescriptions we may adopt. I aim to ensure that Texas agriculture remains safe, trusted, healthy, and wholly uninfected by dangerous or unproven technology.”

The unfounded rumor of mRNA vaccinations for all U.S. livestock found its way to the Midwest, where Dr. Jim Lowe, 1994 graduate of the University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine and an educator, advisor, researcher and farmer, addressed the issue on the Illinois Farm Bureau’s RFD Radio Noon Show on Wednesday, April 25. “The whole thing was that somehow the government was going to use cows to vaccinate the people who didn’t want to be vaccinated, and we’re back to this Covid vaccine malarky, shenanigans or whatever you want to call it,” Lowe said. 

“The whole thing is a bit crazy because the science (shows) first of all you can’t vaccinate a cow and put it in the meat or milk to vaccinate a human -- it doesn’t work that way. That is off the deep end of late night radio. And we don’t have that many mRNA vaccines available today. It’s all a big conspiracy theory and it’s interesting how the ag community grabbed onto it, because there were certainly a lot of ag communities participating in that discussion.”

Tasha Bunting, associate director of commodity and livestock programs for the Illinois Farm Bureau, noted that the rumor could be further dismissed due to the fact that no livestock may enter the food chain for at least 21 days after receiving a vaccination or antibiotic of any sort. 

“There is a withdrawal time. No matter when an animal is vaccinated, they may not be presented at a harvest facility with any vaccine or antibiotic present that could be passed on,” said Bunting. “The process has a lot of safeguards and procedures instilled to ensure the safety of the food supply.” 

Bunting added that even more concerning than the false mRNA vaccination rumor is the fact that the misinformation associated with the rumor is leading individual states to consider enacting laws within their borders to further regulate vaccinations and antibiotic usage in livestock. 

“We’d prefer any regulations be federally mandated and not a state by state patchwork of regulations that farmers may or may not have to adhere to,” she said.