From Today's New York Times

To the Editor:

Re "Mad Cow Forces Beef Industry to Change Course" (front page, Jan. 5):

Was it really too much to expect the beef industry to exclude sick, non-ambulatory cows from our food supply a long time ago, before the government forced it to do that?

The industry's greed has killed the goose that laid the golden egg. I may never enjoy a hamburger again.

GEORGE ALMASI
Katonah, N.Y., Jan. 5, 2004