From: stringmasters [stringmasters@email.msn.com]
Sent: Sunday, March 11, 2001 2:11 PM
To: FDADockets@oc.fda.gov
Subject: docket number 98P-0151/CP1

I am writing in support of a petition filed by Farm Sanctuary that would prohibit the slaughter of downed animals. Specifically I would like to address docket number 98P-0151/CP1.
 
Due to the horrendous conditions on factory farms, many animals become too weak and sick to stand up or move under their own strength. These “downed” animals are shackled, hoisted, and dragged by the leg or neck or pushed by tractors and forklifts to the slaughterhouse. The helpless animals suffer broken bones, torn tendons, and lacerations from this inhumane handling. Studies reveal that most downed animals are fully conscious and suffer intensely during the process. All this, so that companies can make a few extra dollars.

In addition to posing an increased risk of 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 that has been linked to a fatal human illness (CJD or Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease). 

Respectfully,
Julia Hornberger