From: GCOTTETA@aol.com
Sent: Saturday, January 13, 2001 4:23 PM
To: FDADocket@oc.fda.gov
Subject: Docket # 98P-0151/CP1

To whom it may concern,

   I request that the food and drug administration grant petition 
98P-0151/CP1 to 
prohibit the slaughter of downed animals.

   Please take into consideration the following information when you are 
making your decision:

1-Downed animals comprise a very small percentage of animals slaughter, and 
prohibiting their market will cause no undue economic hardship;

2-Industry experts have estimated that 90% of downed animals can be prevented 
with better care and handling. Removing the market for downed animals will 
provide an incentive to industry to prevent downed animals in the first place;

3-It is impossible to move downed animals humanely, and they are typically 
pushed with tractors or dragged with chains--inhumane processes which cause 
injuries ranging from bruises and abrasions, to broken bones and torn 
ligaments;

4-In addition to posing an increased risk for bacterial contamination, there 
is evidence that some downed animals may be afflicted with a form of BSA 
(Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy or "mad cow disease", a disease which has 
been linked to a fatal human illness (CJD or Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease);

5-Animals who are too sick or injured even to stand should not be allowed to 
enter the human food chain.

Thank you for your time and consideration. I do hope you help grant petition 
98P-0151/CP1 to prohibit the slaughter of downed animals.Please do what is 
right for the animals and for those people who eat them.

Sincerely,
Ms. Dawn M. Masturzo