From: SA Lace [saslace@hotmail.com]
Sent: Wednesday, June 06, 2001 4:52 PM
To: FDADockets@oc.fda.gov
Subject: fooddocket number 98P-0151/CP1

Dear Sirs:

I hope I'm not too late to urge you to support food-docket
# 98P-0151/CP1.  Downers" are animals, usually cows, who are too sick or 
injured to walk. Rather than put downers out of their misery by humanely 
euthanizing them, owners may use any means necessary to transport them to 
slaughter. This is because live animals sold for human consumption fetch a 
higher price than dead ones, who are sent to rendering. Downers are often 
handled abusively—kicked, dragged, or shocked with cattle prods.

The Food and Drug Administration is considering outlawing the slaughter of 
"downed" animals for food. Animal protection groups have been working for 
years to convince both the USDA and the FDA to prohibit the transport and 
sale of downed animals. Last year the USDA took a step in this direction 
when it announced that it will stop purchasing meat from downed cows for 
federal programs, including the national school lunch program.

Humaneness and Health By eliminating downed animals from the food supply, 
the U.S. government and the livestock industry can send an important message 
to the public about their commitment to the humane handling of animals and 
to the elimination of unnecessary food safety risks.

Considering the fact that only 0.1% of all livestock become downed animals, 
it is clear that the economic loss caused by removing downers from the 
marketplace will be far outweighed by benefits of eliminating animal 
suffering and potential risks to human health.

The American public is looking to the USDA and the FDA to eliminate 
unnecessary food safety risks, protect animals from needless suffering, and 
ensure that the livestock industry's quality assurance programs are held to 
the highest standards. The HSUS strongly urges the USDA and the FDA to 
fulfill their responsibility to the public and prohibit the slaughter of 
downed animals.

Please ensure the FDA  grant the petition to prohibit the slaughter of 
downed animals for food—docket number 98P-0151/CP1.

-Downers pose an increased risk for bacterial contamination. There is also 
evidence that some downed animals may be afflicted with a form of BSE 
(Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy or "Mad Cow Disease"), a disease that has 
been linked to a fatal human illness (CJD, or  Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease).

-It is impossible to move downed animals humanely.

-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.

Sincerely,

Sherrie Shown

"THE GREATNESS OF A NATION AND IT'S MORAL PROGRESS CAN BE
JUDGED BY THE WAY IT'S ANIMALS ARE TREATED." -MAHATMA GANDHI

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