From: Melissa Campbell [dead-head@snail-mail.net]
Sent: Sunday, March 11, 2001 8:57 PM
To: FDADockets@oc.fda.gov
Subject: Help Ease the Suffering of Downed Animals

U.S. Food and Drug Administration
Dockets Management Branch


I'm writing in support of a petition filed by Farm Sanctuary that 
would prohibit the slaughter of downed animals. 
(The docket number to identify the petition is 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). 


                  Sincerely,
                      Melissa Campbell
 





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