MR. SMITH

3428 33rd Street
Astoria, NY 11106

24 May 2001

William C. Smith, Assistant Administrator
Office of Field Operations
Food Safety Inspection Service
U.S. Department of Agriculture
1400 Independence Ave. S.W.
Whitten Building, Rm. 344E
Washington, DC 20250

Dear Mr. Smith:

I am writing this letter to you because I am very concern about the treatment of animals especially of that animal that are grown for our consumption. I am a twenty five year old man from the state of New York but I am a decedent from a third world country name El Salvador. I grew up spending a lot of time in El Salvador and I grew up to appreciate animals that are grown for consumption because my family owns many animals like chicken, cows, and pigs. Many people own animals in El Salvador. My family grows animals and slaughtered them in special occasion like birthdays and holidays like Christmas. I comprehend that the reason why people eat meat and I am not against it but what I am appose to is certain agricultural practices surrounding the production of meat in this country.

I was surfing the web for an assignment when I came across a website where PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) conducted an undercover investigation at a Heflin, Alabama, Tyson slaughterhouse, on nine separate day, Peta’s undercover investigator saw workers urinating in the live-hang area where the hangs are kept, including on the conveyor belt that moves birds to be slaughter they also break the chickens wigs and legs when handling them. One worker admitted that he broke a chicken's back by beating the bird against a rail, a back-up killer stabbed birds in the neck area with knives, and several birds were hung from shackles by their necks instead of by their legs. Do you believe that this is a right practice? What kind of respect are we showing this poor creature? This animal are for our consumption we owe them a lot more respect than that. These workers are not the only problem many meat suppliers they shove hundreds of chickens in to a huge waste-filled space where the chickens are cram with no space to move and are surrounded with their own feces. I wonder if you know this? Do you also know that they use drugs on the chicken? Drugs like growth hormones to make the chicken grow bigger breast. Do you think that using drugs on the food we consume is a good Idea? Do you know if the hormones use on poultry effect the consumer?

Cornell University program on breast cancer and environmental risk factor stated on their report two cases on with Early puberty in girls has been found to be associated with a higher risk for breast cancer. They also point out that steroid hormones in food were suspected to cause early puberty in girls. However, epidemiological studies have not been conducted to see whether or not growth hormone treated food are responsible for this but one laboratory found a chicken sample from a local market to have a higher than normal level of estrogen (estrogens is used to increase breast tissue growth) and residues of zeranol (Zeranol is approved for use as a growth promoter in livestock, including beef cattle, in the United States) were reported in the blood of some of the girls who had reached puberty early. In the other case it was suspected that school meals were responsible for breast enlargement in very young girls and boys but no samples were “available” for testing. It is mind boggling that these cases are still un answer to the public as consumer we need to be better inform and you Mr. Smith with the position of representing the well being of the public should think of yourself as a reformer. What side of history do you want to be part of the side of corporate America or the side of the people? I admire you Mr. Smith for your work and many achievements. You have played a critical role in the implementation of the Pathogen Reduction “Pathogen: a bacterium, virus, or other microorganism that can cause disease.” and the HACCP “Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point System is a management system in which food safety is addressed through the analysis and control of biological, chemical, and physical hazards from raw material production, procurement and handling, to manufacturing, distribution and consumption of the finished product.” Rule that led to the reduction of Salmonella and food borne illnesses associated with meat and poultry products. I am sure that you understand my concerns.

To conclude Mr. Smith it is very important that you take a good look at the monopoly system in the meat suppliers are heading to. There are few meat suppliers for a nation of over 310 million people. To start solving our problems we should encourage more farmers to raise livestock’s with regulations that should be followed. Farmers like Smithfield Hog Processing Plant in Tar Heel, North Carolina who were shown on a documentary FOOD INC. seeing how they slaughter their chickens is very different then how Tyson slaughterhouse dose it because u can notice that the chickens have energy to fight back in the contrary of Tyson Slaughterhouse where the chickens are too weak to even move. Put your support on farmers like the Smithfield it will be a small step to a better future for this great nation.





Sincerely

Hector Melendez