Pork Peril: RNA Vaccine Injected Into U.S. Pork Livestock Kills 1 in 31 Pigs, Raising Meat Safety Concerns
Republican state senators reportedly refuse to ban RNA vaccines in food supply, opt to facilitate the novel technology's use in their state—despite apparent lack of food safety data.
Merck Animal Health received license approval for its ‘Sequivity IAV-S NA’ (Swine Influenza Vaccine, N1, and N2, RNA Particle) pig vaccine from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) in 2022.
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Sequivity, the first commercially licensed RNA particle-based swine influenza vaccine, was made publicly available in November 2023.
The “new class” of vaccine is said to use ‘RNA Particle Technology,’ which involves electronically sequencing the gene of the detailed pathogen of interest.
When injected, the RNA provides instructions to the pig’s dendritic (immune) cells to begin translating the sequence into proteins.
These proteins act as antigens which, when presented with an actual pathogen challenge, the animal’s immune system recognizes, triggering an immune response.
Vaccine Kills 1 in 31 Pigs
However, the USDA’s summary of studies used in Merck’s product licensure for Sequivity indicates the vaccine kills one in 31 pigs.
Buried on the last page of the document, a chart confirms Sequivity is lethal in 3.2% of injected pigs.
You can read the full USDA licensure summary document below:
The high mortality rate raises questions about the vaccine’s safety for both the animals as well as humans who ingest their potentially tainted meat.
These questions are appropriate, given recent calls for moratoriums (here; here) on the use of mRNA vaccines in humans.
Is There Any Safety Data Regarding RNA-Vaccinated Animal Meat Product Consumption in Humans?
A search was unable to immediately turn up any long-term safety data regarding human consumption of meat from animals injected with Sequivity.
During a 2023 Tennessee House Representatives committee meeting, State Veterinarian and Assistant Commissioner for Animal Health Dr. Samantha Beaty was not able to cite any data when asked for proof confirming there hasn’t been “a demonstrated negative impact” in humans who eat meat from RNA-vaccinated animals.
“In TN we receive swine from 36 states and another country every day,” she replied. “I can only speak to what is being used currently and those [mRNA vaccines by Merck] are specifically for sows and those animals in the food chain go into sausage production if they pass ante-mortem production.”
“There hasn’t been a documented negative impact with this food,” she claimed.
Dr. Beaty testified before the Agriculture & Natural Resources Subcommittee regarding mRNA vaccines used in livestock.
Following her testimony, she was questioned regarding federal laws requiring testing that must be done to determine withdrawal periods following the administration of drugs or vaccines given to animals meant for human consumption.
Commissioner Beaty was asked to “please provide the documentation regarding the withdrawal period studies for SEQUIVITY from Merck Animal Health.”
She was also asked to “provide documentation on the clinical trials performed on humans consuming such meat and any ongoing surveillance procedures and data.”
Beaty was unable to provide the documentation in her email response.
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U.S. Preparing for RNA Vaccines in Food Supply
In 2023, Tennessee lawmakers brought forth proposals to either ban mRNA vaccines or to clearly label meat products from animals subjected to mRNA vaccination.
Two bill proposals concerning the labeling of mRNA vaccines recently made their way to the Tennessee General Assembly.
One of the proposals sought to introduce a statewide label designating “mRNA-free” meat and meat products.
It also aimed to prohibit the state veterinarian’s office from requiring vaccination.
Another proposed bill attempted to prohibit the manufacture, sale, delivery, holding, or offering for sale of any food containing a vaccine or vaccine material unless the food is labeled.
Meanwhile, a similar bill proposed in Arizona requires “[d]isclosure of all products made from aquaculture, livestock or poultry that received messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) vaccines and prohibits these products from being labelled as organic.”
It would also forbid the Arizona Department of Agriculture Director or State Veterinarian from “requiring or administering an mRNA vaccine that has not received full approval from the U.S. Department of Agriculture or U.S. Food and Drug Administration.”
In Texas, SB 2632 addresses the “growing concern that meat products for human consumption may come from livestock that have been injected with mRNA technology. This technology is new, and long-term effects have not been studied.”
The legislation would “require that all meat food products that are sold in this state that are derived from livestock that have been injected with mRNA vaccine material include a clear and conspicuous label indicating the product contains mRNA vaccine material.”
In Missouri, the House Committee on Emerging Issues recently voted down a bill that would have required all beef derived from the state’s cattle to include labels detailing vaccines cows received throughout their life.
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Tennessee GOP Compromised?
Sources close to the Tennessee State Senate indicate that Republican senators are unwilling to vote in favor of laws that would ban the sale of meat from animals vaccinated with RNA technology.
This is significant because the Tennessee Senate, comprised of 33 seats, is dominated by a 27-Republican supermajority against only 6 Democrats.
It only takes a simple majority of 17 ‘yes’ votes to pass a bill through the Tennessee Senate.
A yes vote from a mere 17 of the 27 Republican Tennessee state senators is all it would take to approve a bill banning RNA-vaccinated animal products in the state.
Tennessee’s Republican state senators include:
Paul Bailey
Janice Bowling
Richard Briggs
Rusty Crowe
Todd Gardenhire
Ferrell Haile
Joey Hensley
Ed Jackson
Jack Johnson
Adam Lowe
Jon Lundberg
Becky Duncan Massey
Lt. Governor Randy McNally
Frank Niceley
Mark Pody
Bill Powers
Shane Reeves
Kerry Roberts
Paul Rose
Steve Southerland
John Stevens
Art Swann
Brent Taylor
Page Walley
Bo Watson
Dawn White
Ken Yager
Jeff Yarbro
The Tennessee Senate GOP’s refusal to ban RNA vaccines in the state’s food supply raises questions about their commitment to consumer safety.
It also raises questions about whether the senators are against banning RNA vaccines in their state’s food supply because it would negatively financially impact their donors.
What financial incentives, if any, are keeping Tennessee’s or any other state’s GOP legislators from supporting bills banning RNA vaccines in our food supply?
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