[Federal Register Volume 60, Number 141 (Monday, July 24, 1995)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 37804-37810]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 95-18072]



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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service

9 CFR Part 50

[Docket No. 94-133-1]


Tuberculosis in Cattle, Bison, and Cervids; Payment of Indemnity

AGENCY: Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, USDA.

ACTION: Interim rule.

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SUMMARY: We are amending the tuberculosis indemnity regulations to 
provide for the payment of indemnity for cervids destroyed because of 
tuberculosis. We are also amending these regulations to provide for the 
payment of indemnity for cattle, bison, and cervids found to have been 
exposed to tuberculosis by reason of association with any tuberculous 
livestock. We believe that these changes will encourage owners to 
rapidly remove cattle, bison, and cervids affected with and exposed to 
tuberculosis from their herds. Rapid removal of such cattle, bison, and 
cervids will help protect other cattle, bison, and cervids from 

[[Page 37805]]
tuberculosis and will facilitate tuberculosis eradication efforts in 
the United States. We are also amending the regulations to deny claims 
for indemnity for depopulation of cattle, bison, and cervid herds 
unless other exposed livestock in the herd have been destroyed. This 
action will help ensure that when cattle, bison, and cervids in a herd 
are depopulated, other livestock do not remain as potential sources of 
infection when the owner restocks the herd with healthy animals.

DATES: Interim rule effective July 24, 1995. Consideration will be 
given only to comments received on or before September 22, 1995.

ADDRESSES: Please send an original and three copies of your comments to 
Docket No. 94-133-1, Regulatory Analysis and Development, PPD, APHIS, 
Suite 3C03, 4700 River Road Unit 118, Riverdale, MD 20737-1238. Please 
state that your comments refer to Docket No. 94-133-1. Comments 
received may be inspected at USDA, room 1141, South Building, 14th 
Street and Independence Avenue SW., Washington, DC, between 8 a.m. and 
4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, except holidays. Persons wishing to 
inspect comments are requested to call ahead on (202) 690-2817 to 
facilitate entry into the comment reading room.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dr. Mitchell A. Essey, Senior Staff 
Veterinarian, Cattle Diseases and Surveillance, VS, APHIS, Suite 3B08, 
4700 River Road Unit 36, Riverdale, MD 20737-1231, (301) 734-8715.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

    Bovine tuberculosis (referred to below as tuberculosis) is a 
serious communicable disease of cattle, bison, and other species, 
including humans, caused by Mycobacterium bovis. Tuberculosis causes 
weight loss, general debilitation, and sometimes death. The regulations 
in 9 CFR part 50 (referred to below as the regulations) provide for 
payment of Federal indemnity to owners of certain cattle, bison, or 
swine destroyed because of tuberculosis.
    As part of our program to control and eradicate tuberculosis in 
cattle and bison, the payment of indemnity is intended to provide 
owners with an incentive for promptly destroying cattle or bison 
affected with or exposed to tuberculosis. Because the continued 
presence of tuberculosis in a herd seriously threatens the health of 
animals in that herd and possibly other herds, the prompt destruction 
of tuberculosis-affected animals is critical if tuberculosis 
eradication efforts in the United States are to succeed. Payment of 
Indemnity for Cervids Destroyed Because of Tuberculosis
    Currently, the regulations do not provide for the payment of 
indemnity for cervids destroyed because of tuberculosis. In the past, 
the number of captive cervids in this country was not seen as large 
enough to pose a significant health risk to other cervid herds or to 
cattle and bison. However, the number of captive cervids has steadily 
increased during the past decade, so that today there are almost 2,000 
deer and elk owners in the United States, raising about 135,000 
animals. In some cases, the cervids are pastured in the same fields as 
cattle and bison.
    Because of the growing number of herds of captive cervids, and 
because cervids are frequently pastured with cattle and bison, captive 
cervids affected with tuberculosis pose a significant health risk both 
to other herds of cervids and to cattle and bison. Tuberculosis affects 
cervids similarly to the way it affects cattle and bison. Cervids 
infected with tuberculosis can and have been known to spread the 
disease to cattle and bison. Since January 1991, tuberculosis has been 
confirmed in 31 herds of elk and deer in the United States. 
Transmission of tuberculosis from captive cervids to cattle has been 
confirmed in at least five instances. In addition to concerns over 
livestock health, another issue of concern is the impact tuberculosis 
would have on the nation's wild herds of cervids if the disease were to 
spread. Captive cervids are maintained within fenced areas. However, 
captive cervids have been known to escape from their enclosures and 
mingle with wild herds of cervids. At present, there are two confirmed 
incidences of tuberculosis in wild cervids (each involving only one 
animal), and it has been determined that at least one of those 
incidences resulted from contact with a captive cervid herd. We believe 
that if a widespread outbreak were to occur in wild cervids, it would 
be very costly to manage, would reduce the wild cervid population, and 
would pose a serious human health risk.
    A National Cooperative State-Federal Bovine Tuberculosis 
Eradication Program for cattle and bison has been in place since 1917, 
and is still being carried out. In 1993, the United States Animal 
Health Association (USAHA) resolved to include captive cervids in this 
eradication program. We believe preventing the spread of tuberculosis 
in the cervid population is necessary to help protect the health of 
cervids, cattle, and bison in the United States.
    Because no indemnity is currently offered for cervids destroyed 
because of tuberculosis, cervid owners can obtain at best only 
slaughter value if they have the cervids destroyed. There is little or 
no slaughter value for reactor cervids or for cervids that show 
evidence of tuberculosis upon slaughter inspection. This makes it less 
likely that owners will have tuberculous cervids destroyed, for even 
though infected animals will eventually die, they can live for several 
years and in that time can produce offspring and antlers for market.
    To encourage owners to destroy captive cervids affected with or 
exposed to tuberculosis, we are amending the regulations to provide for 
the payment of indemnity for cervids destroyed because of tuberculosis. 
This will supplement the salvage value an owner can obtain for captive 
cervids destroyed because of tuberculosis. We are defining cervid in 
Sec. 50.1 to include ``all species of deer, elk, and moose, raised or 
maintained in captivity for the production of meat and other products, 
for sport, or for exhibition.''
    Section 50.3 concerns payment to owners for animals destroyed. We 
are amending Sec. 50.3 (a), (b), and (c) to provide that the indemnity 
rates will not exceed $750 for any reactor cervid and $450 for any 
exposed cervid. These are the same rates that the regulations allow for 
reactor and exposed cattle and bison. The herd owner will have the 
option of destroying only reactor cervids in the herd, or of 
depopulating the entire herd, the same options available for dealing 
with affected herds of cattle and bison. The advantage to the owner, as 
well as to the cervid industry, of whole herd depopulation would be the 
assured elimination of tuberculosis from the herd. The herd owner could 
then start anew with healthy stock. We are also amending the definition 
for herd depopulation in Sec. 50.1 to include cervids.
    Section 50.4 concerns the determination of existence of or exposure 
to tuberculosis. We are amending paragraph (a) to provide that cervids 
are to be classified as affected with tuberculosis in the same manner 
as cattle and bison: on the basis of an intradermal tuberculin test 
applied by a Federal, State, or accredited veterinarian, or by another 
diagnostic procedure approved in advance by the Administrator. The 
intradermal tuberculin tests approved to detect tuberculosis in cattle 
and bison have also proven through research, surveys, and testing to be 
effective in determining the tuberculosis disease status of cervids. We 
are amending Sec. 50.4(b) to provide that the kinds of 

[[Page 37806]]
associations which cause cattle or bison to be classified as exposed to 
tuberculosis also apply to cervids.
    We are amending Sec. 50.5, which concerns records of testing, to 
require the same recordkeeping for cervids as for cattle and bison. We 
are also making a nonsubstantive change to this section to specify the 
form to be used for test records.
    Section 50.6 contains requirements for the identification of 
animals to be destroyed because of tuberculosis. We are amending this 
section to require that reactor cervids be identified by branding the 
letter ``T'' high on the left hip near the tailhead and at least 5 by 5 
centimeters (2 by 2 inches) in size and by attaching to the left ear an 
approved metal eartag bearing a serial number and the inscription 
``U.S. Reactor'', or a similar State reactor tag. We are requiring that 
exposed cervids be identified by branding the letter ``S'' high on the 
left hip near the tailhead and at least 5 by 5 centimeters (2 by 2 
inches) in size and by attaching to the left ear an approved metal 
eartag bearing a serial number.1

    \1\  A proposal to amend Sec. 50.6(a) to allow reactor cattle 
and bison to be identified by a brand on the left hip and by 
attaching an approved metal eartag to the left ear, and to amend 
Sec. 50.6(b) to allow exposed cattle and bison to be identified by a 
brand on the left hip and by attaching an approved metal eartag to 
the left ear, was published in the Federal Register on May 17, 1995 
(Docket No. 95-006-1, 60 FR 26377-26381).
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    We are requiring that reactor and exposed cervids be branded on the 
hip, and not on the jaw, for two reasons. First, branding on the jaw 
would be physically very difficult for most cervids. The skin on the 
jaws of most cervids is much thinner than that of cattle or bison, 
making it possible that the brand could penetrate the skin and injure 
muscle tissue. Also, the size of the jaw area varies widely among 
cervid species, with some having a head no larger than that of a 
medium-sized dog. Such cervid species would not have a jaw large enough 
to accommodate a brand. Second, there has been increasing concern from 
the public, and specifically from animal rights groups, that branding 
on the jaw may cause undue distress to livestock. In response to their 
concerns, we published a proposal (see footnote 1) to remove branding 
on the jaw from our regulatory programs for cattle and bison. In 
keeping with that effort, and the other reasons enumerated, we have 
chosen not to allow branding on the jaw in our regulatory programs for 
cervids.
    The brands required for cattle and bison in Sec. 50.6, and the 
brands called for in this interim rule for cervids, are applied with a 
hot-iron. We considered allowing identification options such as freeze 
branding, by requiring that cervids be identified by a brand or by 
another distinct, permanent, and legible mark. We chose not to allow 
these options. A limitation of freeze branding is that the brand takes 
a minimum of 18 to 21 days to become visible. In order that we may 
continue to prevent the spread of tuberculosis, it is imperative that 
exposed and affected animals be instantly recognizable from the time of 
their identification until they are slaughtered, so that they are not 
commingled with healthy animals. In most cases, an exposed or affected 
cervid would be identified, shipped, and slaughtered before the freeze 
brand becomes visible. To date, an acceptable alternative to hot-iron 
branding has not been found for marking exposed or affected animals 
that satisfies the criteria of being instantly visible upon 
application, as well as distinct, permanent, and legible. Until an 
acceptable alternative is developed, we have chosen to require that the 
cervids be identified with a brand.
    We are, however, including in Sec. 50.6 an alternative to branding 
exposed and reactor cervids. We will allow exposed cervids to be moved 
interstate to slaughter without branding if they are either accompanied 
directly to slaughter by an APHIS or State representative or moved 
directly to slaughter in vehicles closed with official seals. Such 
official seals must be applied and removed by an APHIS representative, 
State representative, accredited veterinarian, or an individual 
authorized for this purpose by an APHIS representative. For reactor 
cervids, we will allow the same movement without branding as for 
exposed cervids, but we are requiring that the reactors be identified 
by a ``TB'' tattooed on the left ear, and by spraying the left ear with 
yellow paint.2 Carcasses of tuberculosis reactor animals can be 
sold for consumption only if the meat is cooked. We are unaware of any 
slaughtering facilities in the United States that will handle cervid 
carcasses that are to be cooked before sale, so this option would not 
be available to cervid owners. Consequently, reactor cervids sent to 
slaughter would constitute a total monetary loss to the owner. Such 
monetary loss could provide an incentive to substitute less valuable 
cervids that have tested negative for tuberculosis for more valuable 
reactor cervids, or to otherwise divert valuable tuberculosis reactor 
cervids from slaughter channels, impeding tuberculosis eradication 
efforts in the United States. We believe that requiring reactors to 
have their left ear tattooed with a ``TB'' and spray painted yellow 
will make it difficult for these reactors to be diverted.

    \2\ A proposal to make the same provisions apply to reactor and 
exposed cattle and bison was published in the Federal Register on 
May 17, 1995 (Docket No. 95-006-1, 60 FR 26377-26381).
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    We are also amending Secs. 50.7, 50.8, 50.9, 50.10, 50.11, 50.12, 
50.13, 50.14, and 50.15 to make the provisions that apply to cattle and 
bison apply to cervids. These sections concern the destruction and 
disposal of animals, payment of expenses for transportation and 
disposal of carcasses, appraisals, reports of salvage proceedings, 
procedures for claiming indemnity, disinfection of premises and other 
articles, and claims not allowed.

Payment of Indemnity for Tuberculosis-Exposed Cattle, Bison, and 
Cervids
    Before the effective date of this interim rule, Sec. 50.3(c) 
authorized the payment of Federal indemnity, under certain conditions, 
for cattle and bison found to have been exposed to tuberculosis by 
reason of association with tuberculous cattle or bison. As explained 
above, we are amending Sec. 50.3(c) to also provide for the payment of 
indemnity for cervids found to have been exposed to tuberculosis. We 
are further amending this paragraph to provide that the exposure of 
cattle, bison, or cervids may be by reason of association with any 
tuberculous livestock, not just cattle and bison. Llamas, alpacas, 
antelope, and other hoofed livestock, in addition to cervids, can be 
reservoirs of tuberculosis and can spread the disease to cattle, bison, 
or cervids. The rapidly increasing number of exotic livestock herds has 
increased the amount of commingling between such animals and cattle or 
bison. This, in turn, has increased the risk that cattle or bison, and 
now cervids, will be exposed to tuberculosis by other livestock, a 
circumstance unforeseen when the regulations were promulgated.
    We are adding a definition of livestock to Sec. 50.1 to include 
cattle, bison, cervids, swine, goats, sheep, and other hoofed animals 
(such as llamas, alpacas, and antelope) raised or maintained in 
captivity for the production of meat and other products, for sport, or 
for exhibition. We are also amending Sec. 50.14, ``Claims not 
allowed,'' to add a new paragraph to stipulate that compensation for 
tuberculosis-exposed cattle, bison, or cervids destroyed during herd 
depopulation will not be allowed if a designated epidemiologist has 
determined that exotic bovidae (such as antelope) or other livestock 
species in 

[[Page 37807]]
the herd have been exposed to tuberculosis by reason of association 
with tuberculous livestock, and those exotic bovidae or other species 
have not been destroyed. We are adding this paragraph to ensure that, 
when a cattle, bison, or cervid herd is depopulated, other exposed 
species do not remain to infect cattle, bison, or cervids with which 
the owner restocks the herd. We are including the provision that a 
designated epidemiologist must determine whether exposure had occurred, 
because there are situations where cattle, bison, cervids, antelope, 
and other livestock are maintained under common ownership, but the 
different species may be sufficiently separated so that they do not 
necessarily commingle. We are adding a definition for designated 
epidemiologist to Sec. 50.1 to mean ``an epidemiologist appointed by a 
cooperating State animal health official and the Veterinarian in Charge 
to perform functions specified by the `Uniform Methods and Rules--
Bovine Tuberculosis Eradication.' ''
    We are making several necessary changes to Sec. 50.1, 
``Definitions,'' to make the definitions consistent with the other 
changes made in this rule. First, we are revising the definition of 
herd. According to the current definition, a herd consists of animals 
of like kind, or two or more groups of cattle or bison together. We are 
removing the ``like kind'' and ``cattle and bison'' provisions, and 
will state instead that a herd consists of any group of livestock 
maintained on common ground, or two or more groups of livestock under 
common ownership or supervision, geographically separated but that have 
an interchange or movement of livestock without regard to health 
status, as determined by the Administrator.
    We are removing the definition for animals from Sec. 50.1, because 
adding the term livestock will eliminate the need to use the term and 
define animals. Throughout the regulations, we are removing the word 
``animal'' wherever its meaning is not clear and replacing it with the 
specific kind of livestock (i.e. cattle, bison, cervid, or swine) that 
is appropriate to that section.
    In the definitions for approved herd plan and quarantined feedlot, 
we are replacing ``animals'' with the term ``livestock.'' In the 
definition for owner, we are replacing ``cattle, bison, or swine'' with 
the term ``livestock.'' We are also including cervids in the 
definitions for permit, reactor cattle and bison, and registered cattle 
and bison. (The current definition for reactor cattle and bison states 
that cattle and bison are classified as reactors in accordance with the 
``Uniform Methods and Rules--Bovine Tuberculosis Eradication,'' based 
on a positive response to an official tuberculosis test. As stated 
earlier in this document, the tuberculin tests approved in the Uniform 
Methods and Rules to detect TB in cattle and bison have also proven 
effective in determining the tuberculosis status of cervids. 
Additionally, the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service is in the 
process of adding cervids to the provisions in the Uniform Methods and 
Rules.)

Immediate Action

    The Administrator of the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service 
has determined that there is good cause for publishing this interim 
rule without prior opportunity for public comment. Immediate action is 
necessary to help prevent the spread of tuberculosis in cattle, bison, 
and cervid herds. We are currently aware of three herds of cattle and 
bison exposed to tuberculous cervids and six herds of cervids affected 
with bovine tuberculosis. The lack of Federal compensation for the 
destruction of these animals has resulted in these herds not being 
depopulated, allowing the tuberculosis to persist. These herds could 
spread the disease to healthy herds. Providing indemnity payments 
immediately will encourage owners to depopulate the tuberculous herds, 
thereby helping prevent the spread of tuberculosis to healthy herds and 
reducing the time required to achieve the eradication of bovine 
tuberculosis from the United States. Immediate action will, we believe, 
substantially advance our eradication efforts and enhance our ability 
to achieve the program's objectives.
    Because prior notice and other public procedures with respect to 
this action are impracticable and contrary to the public interest under 
these conditions, we find good cause under 5 U.S.C. 553 to make it 
effective upon publication in the Federal Register. We will consider 
comments that are received within 60 days of publication of this rule 
in the Federal Register. After the comment period closes, we will 
publish another document in the Federal Register. It will include a 
discussion of any comments we receive and any amendments we are making 
to the rule as a result of the comments.

Executive Order 12866 and Regulatory Flexibility Act

    This rule has been reviewed under Executive Order 12866. The rule 
has been determined to be not significant for the purposes of Executive 
Order 12866 and, therefore, has not been reviewed by the Office of 
Management and Budget.
    In accordance with 5 U.S.C. 603, we have performed an Initial 
Regulatory Flexibility Analysis, which is set out below, regarding the 
impact of this interim rule on small entities. However, we do not 
currently have all the data necessary for a comprehensive analysis of 
the effects of this rule on small entities. Therefore, we are inviting 
comments concerning potential effects. In particular, we are interested 
in determining the number and kind of small entities that may incur 
benefits or costs from implementation of this rule.
    In accordance with 21 U.S.C. 114a, as amended, the Secretary of 
Agriculture is authorized to promulgate regulations to provide for the 
payment of claims for compensation for animals destroyed because of 
tuberculosis. This rule provides for the payment of indemnity for the 
destruction of tuberculosis reactor cervids, and for the destruction of 
cattle, bison, and cervids found to have been exposed to tuberculosis 
by reason of association with any tuberculous livestock. This rule is 
necessary to encourage owners to rapidly remove cattle, bison, and 
cervids affected with and exposed to tuberculosis from their herds, 
thereby facilitating tuberculosis eradication efforts in the United 
States.
    Cervid producers affected by this rule would be primarily producers 
of deer and elk. There are approximately 1,000 deer producers and 950 
elk producers in the United States, raising about 100,000 deer and 
35,000 elk under controlled farm conditions. Holdings vary in size and 
degree of commercialization, but almost all deer and elk producers can 
be classified as small businesses (defined by the Small Business 
Administration as having less than $0.5 million annual gross receipts). 
However, many producers rely on other sources of income (such as dairy 
farming or beef cattle ranching) for their livelihoods.
    In general, elk producers concentrate on building up their herds, 
with most newborns retained as breeding stock. However, a fair market 
value for a heifer elk is between $4,000 and $5,000. Annual income is 
earned from the sale of antlers cut in the velvet stage of growth. The 
antlers sell for about $65 per pound, and a single bull elk can produce 
an average of 18 pounds of antlers per year, for more than 10 years. 
Thus, a gross income of $1,000 or more can be derived per year from a 
bull elk.
    The value per animal is lower for deer than for elk, and varies by 
species. Currently, at private sales, prices for good quality fallow 
does and bucks range between $500 and $1,000. Young 

[[Page 37808]]
deer command only $300 to $500 per head. Slightly lower prices prevail 
at public auctions.
    Destruction of cervid herds affected with tuberculosis will be 
voluntary on the part of the owners. At present, there are six cervid 
herds (four elk herds and two deer herds) affected with tuberculosis, 
totalling about 700 cervids. The indemnity payments of up to $750 per 
head for reactor cervids and up to $450 per head for exposed cervids 
will partially compensate cervid producers for lost income incurred by 
the destruction of the animals. These indemnity payments could provide 
a significant incentive for the owners of these herds to destroy the 
tuberculous animals. Although the indemnity payments will not 
completely cover the monetary losses resulting from whole herd 
depopulation, the payments will significantly reduce losses for deer 
and elk producers.
    This rule also provides for the payment of indemnity for cattle and 
bison that are destroyed because of tuberculosis after being exposed to 
any tuberculous livestock, at the rate of up to $450 per head. This is 
the same rate currently provided in the regulations for cattle and 
bison exposed to tuberculous cattle and bison. Depopulation of the 
cattle and bison herds will be voluntary.
    This rule contains paperwork and recordkeeping requirements. Under 
this rule, cattle, bison, and cervid owners are required to have a 
permit for movement of affected or exposed animals to slaughter, 
records of tests, and reports of appraisals and salvage proceedings. 
Further, claims for indemnity must be submitted on forms furnished by 
APHIS, and cervids to be destroyed must be identified with brands and 
eartags. However, since the provisions regarding exposed animals are 
voluntary, none of the paperwork or recordkeeping would be required if 
an owner chooses not to claim indemnity for destroying exposed animals.
    The alternative to this rule would be to take no action. We do not 
consider taking no action a reasonable alternative because, without the 
economic incentive of Federal compensation for destroyed animals, 
owners would be more likely to allow tuberculosis infection to persist 
in their herds. The indemnity payments offered in this rule are the 
same as those currently offered for affected and exposed cattle and 
bison.

Executive Order 12372

    This program/activity is listed in the Catalog of Federal Domestic 
Assistance under No. 10.025 and is subject to Executive Order 12372, 
which requires intergovernmental consultation with State and local 
officials. (See 7 CFR part 3015, subpart V.)

Executive Order 12778

    This rule has been reviewed under Executive Order 12778, Civil 
Justice Reform. This rule: (1) Preempts all State and local laws and 
regulations that are in conflict with this rule; (2) has no retroactive 
effect; and (3) does not require administrative proceedings before 
parties may file suit in court challenging this rule.

Paperwork Reduction Act

    In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1980 (44 U.S.C. 
3501 et seq.), the information collection or recordkeeping requirements 
included in this rule will be submitted for approval to the Office of 
Management and Budget. Please send written comments to the Office of 
Information and Regulatory Affairs, OMB, Attention: Desk Officer for 
APHIS, Washington, DC 20503. Please send a copy of your comments to: 
(1) Docket No. 94-133-1, Regulatory Analysis and Development, PPD, 
APHIS, suite 3C03, 4700 River Road, Unit 118, Riverdale, MD 20737-1238, 
and (2) Clearance Officer, OIRM, USDA, room 404-W, 14th Street and 
Independence Avenue SW., Washington, DC 20250.

List of Subjects in 9 CFR Part 50

    Animal diseases, Bison, Cattle, Hogs, Indemnity payments, Reporting 
and recordkeeping requirements, Tuberculosis.

    Accordingly, 9 CFR part 50 is amended as follows:

PART 50--ANIMALS DESTROYED BECAUSE OF TUBERCULOSIS

    1. The authority citation for part 50 continues to read as follows:

    Authority: 21 U.S.C. 111-113, 114, 114a, 114a-1, 120, 121, 125, 
and 134b; 7 CFR 2.17, 2.51, and 371.2(d).


Sec. 50.1  [Amended]

    2. Section 50.1 is amended as follows:
    a. The definitions for animals, reactor cattle and bison, and 
registered cattle and bison are removed.
    b. In the definition for approved herd plan, the word ``animals'' 
is removed and the word ``livestock'' is added in its place.
    c. Definitions for cervid, designated epidemiologist, livestock, 
reactor cattle, bison, and cervids, and registered cattle, bison, and 
cervids are added in alphabetical order to read as set forth below.
    d. The definitions for herd and herd depopulation are revised to 
read as set forth below.
    e. In the definition for owner, the words ``cattle, bison, or 
swine'' are removed and the word ``livestock'' is added in their place.
    f. In the definition for permit, the word ``cervids,'' is added 
immediately before ``or swine''.
    g. In the definition for quarantined feedlot, the word ``animals'' 
is removed and the word ``livestock'' is added in its place each time 
it appears.


Sec. 50.1  Definitions.

* * * * *
    Cervid. All species of deer, elk, and moose raised or maintained in 
captivity for the production of meat and other products, for sport, or 
for exhibition.
* * * * *
    Designated epidemiologist. An epidemiologist appointed by a 
cooperating State animal health official and the Veterinarian in Charge 
to perform functions specified by the ``Uniform Methods and Rules--
Bovine Tuberculosis Eradication.''
* * * * *
    Herd. Any group of livestock maintained on common ground for any 
purpose, or two or more groups of livestock under common ownership or 
supervision, geographically separated but that have an interchange or 
movement of livestock without regard to health status, as determined by 
the Administrator.
    Herd depopulation. Removal by slaughter or other means of 
destruction of all cattle, bison, and cervids in a herd prior to 
restocking with new cattle, bison, or cervids.
    Livestock. Cattle, bison, cervids, swine, dairy goats, and other 
hoofed animals (such as llamas, alpacas, and antelope) raised or 
maintained in captivity for the production of meat and other products, 
for sport, or for exhibition.
* * * * *
    Reactor cattle, bison, and cervids. Cattle and bison are classified 
as reactors for tuberculosis in accordance with the ``Uniform Methods 
and Rules--Bovine Tuberculosis Eradication,'' based on a positive 
response to an official tuberculin test. Cervids are classified as 
reactors for tuberculosis in the same manner as cattle and bison.
    Registered cattle, bison, or cervids. Cattle, bison, or cervids for 
which individual records of ancestry are maintained, and for which 
individual registration certificates are issued and recorded by a 
recognized breed 

[[Page 37809]]
association whose purpose is the improvement of the breed.
* * * * *


Sec. 50.2  [Amended]

    3. In Sec. 50.2, the word ``cervids,'' is added immediately before 
``or swine''.
    4. Section 50.3 is amended as follows:
    a. In paragraph (a), in the paragraph heading and the regulatory 
text, the words ``and bison'' are removed and the words ``, bison, and 
cervids'' are added in their place.
    b. In paragraph (b), in the paragraph heading and the regulatory 
text, the words ``and bison'' are removed each time they appear and the 
words ``, bison, and cervids'' are added in their place.
    c. Paragraph (c) is revised to read as set forth below.


Sec. 50.3  Payment to owners for animals destroyed.

* * * * *
    (c) Exposed cattle, bison, and cervids. The Administrator may 
authorize the payment of Federal indemnity to owners of cattle, bison, 
and cervids destroyed because of tuberculosis not to exceed $450 for 
any animal which has been classified as exposed to tuberculosis in 
accordance with Sec. 50.4(b) when it has been determined by the 
Administrator that the destruction of the exposed cattle, bison, or 
cervids will contribute to the Tuberculosis Eradication Program; but, 
the joint State-Federal indemnity payments, plus salvage, must not 
exceed the appraised value of each animal.
* * * * *


Sec. 50.4  [Amended]

    5. In Sec. 50.4, paragraph (a), the words ``and bison'' are removed 
and the words ``, bison, and cervids'' are added in their place.
    6. In Sec. 50.4, paragraph (b), the words ``and bison'' are removed 
and the words ``, bison, and cervids'' are added in their place; and 
the word ``animals'' is removed and the words ``cattle, bison, or 
cervids'' are added in its place.


Sec. 50.5  [Amended]

    7. In Sec. 50.5, in the first sentence, the words `` or bison'' are 
removed and the words ``, bison, or cervid'' are added in their place 
and the words ``of cattle'' are removed; and in the second sentence the 
words ``A form acceptable to an APHIS'' are removed and the words ``VS 
Form 6-22 or an equivalent State form'' are added in their place.
    8. In Sec. 50.6, the introductory text, the word ``Animals'' is 
removed and the words ``Cattle, bison, cervids, or swine'' are added in 
its place; and new paragraphs (d) and (e) are added to read as follows:


Sec. 50.6  Identification of animals to be destroyed because of 
tuberculosis.

* * * * *
    (d) Reactor cervids. Reactor cervids shall be identified by 
branding the letter ``T'' high on the left hip near the tailhead and at 
least 5 by 5 centimeters (2 by 2 inches) in size and by attaching to 
the left ear an approved metal eartag bearing a serial number and the 
inscription ``U.S. Reactor'', or a similar State reactor tag. Reactor 
cervids may be moved interstate to slaughter without branding if they 
are permanently identified by the letters ``TB'' tattooed legibly on 
the left ear, they are sprayed on the left ear with yellow paint, and 
they are either accompanied by an APHIS or State representative or 
moved directly to slaughter in vehicles closed with official seals. 
Such official seals must be applied and removed by an APHIS 
representative, State representative, accredited veterinarian, or an 
individual authorized for this purpose by an APHIS representative.
    (e) Exposed cervids. Exposed cervids shall be identified by 
branding the letter ``S'' high on the left hip near the tailhead and at 
least 5 by 5 centimeters (2 by 2 inches) in size and by attaching to 
the left ear an approved metal eartag bearing a serial number. Exposed 
cervids may be moved interstate to slaughter without branding if they 
are either accompanied by an APHIS or State representative or moved 
directly to slaughter in vehicles closed with official seals. Such 
official seals must be applied and removed by an APHIS representative, 
State representative, accredited veterinarian, or an individual 
authorized for this purpose by an APHIS representative.


Sec. 50.7  [Amended]

    9. In Sec. 50.7, paragraphs (a) and (b) are amended by removing the 
first word of the regulatory text in each paragraph, ``Animals'', and 
adding the words ``Cattle, bison, cervids, or swine'' in its place.


Sec. 50.8  [Amended]

    10. In Sec. 50.8, the words ``and bison'' are removed each time 
they appear and the words ``, bison, and cervids'' are added in their 
place.
Sec. 50.9  [Amended]

    11. In Sec. 50.9, in the first and the fourth sentences, the word 
``Animals'' is removed and the words ``Cattle, bison, cervids, or 
swine'' are added in its place; in the third and the sixth sentences, 
the word ``animals'' is removed and the words ``cattle, bison, cervids, 
or swine'' are added in its place; and in the fifth sentence the words 
``or bison'' are removed and the words ``, bison, cervids, or swine'' 
are added in their place.


Sec. 50.10  [Amended]

    12. In Sec. 50.10, the words ``and bison'' are removed and the 
words ``, bison, cervids, and swine'' are added in their place.


Sec. 50.11  [Amended]

    13. In Sec. 50.11, the words ``or bison'' are removed each time 
they appear and the words ``, bison, cervids, or swine'' are added in 
their place; and the word ``animals'' is removed from the ninth 
sentence immediately following ``Destruction of'' and the words `` 
cattle, bison, cervids, and swine'' are added in its place.


Sec. 50.12  [Amended]

    14. In Sec. 50.12, the words ``or bison'' are removed each time 
they appear and the words ``, bison, cervids, or swine'' are added in 
their place.


Sec. 50.13  [Amended]

    15. In Sec. 50.13, the words ``cattle or bison'' are removed and 
the word ``livestock'' is added in their place.
    16. Section 50.14 is amended as follows:
    a. In the introductory text, the words ``or bison'' are removed and 
the words ``, bison, or cervids'' are added in their place.
    b. In paragraph (b),  the  words ``, bison, and cervids'' are added 
immediately before the phrase ``2 years of age or over''.
    c. In paragraph (b), the words ``and bison'' are removed each time 
they appear and the words ``, bison, and cervids'' are added in their 
place.
    d. In paragraph (d), the words ``or bison'' are removed each time 
they appear and the words ``, bison, or cervids'' are added in their 
place.
    e. In paragraph (d), the words ``and bison'' are removed and  the  
words ``, bison, and cervids'' are added in their place.
    f. In paragraphs (e), (e)(2)(i), and (e)(2)(ii), the words ``or 
bison'' are removed each time they appear and the words ``, bison, or 
cervids'' are added in their place.
    g. A new paragraph (f) is added to read as set forth below.


Sec. 50.14  Claims not allowed.

* * * * *
    (f) For exposed cattle, bison, or cervids destroyed during herd 
depopulation, if a designated epidemiologist has determined that exotic 
bovidae (such as antelope) or 

[[Page 37810]]
other species of livestock in the herd have been exposed to 
tuberculosis by reason of association with tuberculous livestock, and 
those exotic bovidae or other species determined to have been exposed 
to tuberculosis have not been destroyed.

    Done in Washington, DC, this 17th day of July 1995.
Lonnie J. King,
Administrator, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.
[FR Doc. 95-18072 Filed 7-21-95; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-34-P