From: Lori King [Lori_King@bourns.com]
Sent: Tuesday, January 09, 2001 3:46 PM
To: 'FDADockets@oc.fda.gov'
Subject: "No Downers" - Docket # 98P-0151/CP1

To:  	U.S. Food and Drug Administration
	Docket # 98P-0151/CP1

I have received a newsletter from the Farm Sanctuary in January, 2001
regarding the current status of the "Downed Animal Protection Act."
According to this newletter, it stated that:  "last year, the USDA announced
a landmark policy to stop purchasing meat from downed cows at stockyards for
Federal programs, including the National School Lunch Program."  Basically,
the USDA stated "that the marketing and slaughter of downed animals is
unacceptable!"

I have been strongly fighting for this "Downed Animal Protection Act" to
pass congress for years as I feel it is just horible for animals who are too
sick and injured to even stand to be allowed to enter the human consumption
chain.  There has been evidence that these animals pose an increased risk
for bacterial contamination, and may be inflicted with a form of BSE (Bovine
Spongiform Encephalopathy or "Mad Cow Disease"), a disease which can be
linked to a fatal human illness (CJD or Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease!).

I read that industry experts have estimated that 90% of downed animals at
U.S. stockyards can be prevented with better care and handling!  

It has been proven that it is impossible to move downed animals in a humane
way and are treated in a very inhumane way at stockyards!  Therefore, it
just makes sense that if a stockyard animal is considered ill, then it
should be euthanized as a humane solution!

I am, therefore, asking that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration please
grant Petition # 98P-0151/CP1 to prohibit the slaughter of downed animals,
but to instead to have a law in place to euthanize these animals as a humane
means of solving this problem for this country.

Thank you for your time!

Lori King
29065 San Jacinto Avenue
Nuevo, CA  92567
e-mail:  lori_king@bourns.com
(1/9/01)