On Demand | ACV | Webinar | Safeguarding national herd health: FMD and LSD in focus and innovations in mRNA vaccine technology | Dr Beth Cookson and Dr Peter Kirkland
14 October, 2025 @ 8:00 pm - 14 October, 2026 @ 9:00 pm AEDT
Free - $50.00
As global threats from exotic animal diseases (EADs) intensify, Australia remains at the forefront of biosecurity innovation. This expert-led session will spotlight our national preparedness against Foot-and-Mouth Disease (FMD) and Lumpy Skin Disease (LSD), with a focus on cutting-edge vaccine development.
Australia’s Chief Veterinary Officer, Dr Beth Cookson, will lead the discussion on strategic approaches to protecting our cattle industries from emerging disease risks. Joining her is Dr Peter Kirkland from NSW DPIRD EMAI, who will present groundbreaking work on the development of an mRNA-based vaccine for FMDV. His insights will highlight how mRNA technology—proven in human health—offers a transformative platform for rapid, scalable, and targeted vaccine responses to high-risk animal pathogens.
This session will explore how scientific innovation is reshaping Australia’s EAD preparedness, ensuring the resilience of our livestock sector in an increasingly complex biosecurity landscape.
Register now to secure your spot!
Who should attend
All veterinarians
Further details
If you previously registered for the live webinar held on the 14th October 2025, please follow the steps below to access the on demand recording on My Learning:
Browse to https://mylearning.ava.com.au
Click on the Personal account button
If you are prompted, log in with your AVA website account*
When you land on the My Learning Home Page, click on the Record of Learning button. IMPORTANT: the webinar course will appear in approximately 5 minutes. You can refresh your browser during this time to speed up the process a little.
* Don’t have an AVA website account? Click here to create an account and follow the prompts. Following this, your new account and the on demand webinar will be available within the next hour. After this time, please return to the steps above.
Our speakers
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- Dr Beth Cookson
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Dr Beth Cookson was appointed Australia’s Chief Veterinary Officer in December 2023. Beth has more than two decades of experience in biosecurity policy and operational roles in the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry. Her interests include enhancing international trade markets and access, strengthening animal health system nationally and internationally, and has a special focus on biosecurity across northern Australia. Beth is a member of the Australian and New Zealand College of Veterinary Scientists and was awarded an Executive Master of Public Administration through the Australia and New Zealand School of Government (ANZSOG).
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- Dr Peter Kirkland
- Biography
Peter Kirkland is head of the Virology Laboratory at EMAI in New South Wales and leads the WOAH Reference Laboratory for BVDV. He has devoted most of his career to investigation of virus diseases of terrestrial and aquatic animals and wildlife. This has led to the discovery of several new viruses and detection new incursions – most recently Japanese encephalitis virus in pigs and horses.Dr Kirkland has an active research program with a focus on development of rapid diagnostic assays and vaccines. He is currently leading a project to develop novel vaccines against emergency animal diseases including FMDV and lumpy skin disease virus.
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