From: Trish [RavenTW@home.com]
Sent: Saturday, February 24, 2001 1:09 PM
To: FDADockets@oc.fda.gov
Subject: RE: DOCKET NUMBER : 98P-0151/CP1

U.S. Food and Drug Administration
Dockets Management Branch
5630 Fishers Lane, Room 1061
Rockville, MD 20852

RE: DOCKET NUMBER :   98P-0151/CP1

To whom it  may concern:
 
I am writing to ask that you please pass the Downed Animal Protection Act.  From what I understand, this commonsense measure requires that animals who are too sick to stand  (i.e. "downed animals") be humanely euthanized at stockyards.
 
When making your decision, please consider the following:

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

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

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: Downed animals comprise a very small percentage of animals slaughtered, and prohibiting their marketing will cause no undue economic hardship.

5: Industry experts have estimated that 90% percent 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.
 
Thank you for your time and consideration.
 
Sincerely,
Patricia Wright
RavenTW@home.com