From: Pigeonsw@aol.com
Sent: Wednesday, March 07, 2001 4:41 PM
To: FDADockets@oc.fda.gov
Subject: RE: 98P-0151/CP1

U.S. Food and Drug Administration
Dockets Management Branch
5630 Fishers Lane, Room 1061
Rockville, MD 20852
FAX: 301-827-6870
EFDADockets@oc.fda.gov-mail: 

RE: DOCKET NUMBER 98P-0151/CP1 

To Whom It May Concern:

I am writing to protest the inclusion of downed, sick animals in the human 
food chain.  I urge you to consider the following points and make decisions 
not to allow such animals to be slaughtered for food.

1.  Animals who are too sick or injured even to stand should not be allowed
to enter the human food chain. 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).
2.  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.
3.  Downed animals comprise a very small percentage of animals slaughtered,
and prohibiting their marketing will cause no undue economic hardship.
4.  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 very much.

Sicerely,
Taffy Lee Williams
Tuckahoe, NY

"Yield and overcome; bend and be straight; empty and be full." (Tao, #22).