From: Gayatri Schilberg [gayatri@jbsenergy.com]
Sent: Wednesday, January 10, 2001 11:46 AM
To: EXECSEC
Subject: Use of antibiotics in agriculture

						P.O. Box 191134
						Sacramento, CA 95819
						January 10,2001

Jane E. Henney, M.D.
Commissioner
U. S. Food and Drug Administration

Dear Commissioner Henney,

I am writing to urge you to create a system that monitors the amount of
antibiotics which is used in agriculture.  As a practitioner of natural
healing and a consumer of organic foods, I am aware of how much the
additives to our food supply create illness conditions and hormonal
imbalances. The overuse of antibiotics is also promoting disease-resistant
organisms.

While the recent report from the Union of Concerned Scientists, "Hogging It"
(available from www.ucsusa.org_) makes a rough and alarming estimate of
antibiotic use, more precise data is needed upon which to make policy
choices.  I encourage you to create a system that collects
basic data on agricultural antibiotic use in the United States.  The
information should be collected for both human and agricultural use and
should include the class, indication, dosage, and treatment period.

Thank you for your consideration of this important issue.

Sincerely,

Gayatri Schilberg
tel: (916) 456-3681