[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 113 (Thursday, June 12, 1997)]
[Notices]
[Pages 32074-32076]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 97-15437]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service
[Docket No. 97-045-1]


Notice of Request for Extension of a Currently Approved 
Information Collection

AGENCY: Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, USDA.

ACTION: Approved information collection extension; comment request.

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SUMMARY: In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this 
notice announces the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service's 
intention to request approval of information collections that it uses 
in preventing the introduction and spread of livestock and poultry 
diseases through the importation into the United States of restricted 
and controlled materials.

DATES: Comments on this notice must be received by August 11, 1997.

ADDRESSES: Send comments regarding the accuracy of burden estimate, 
ways to minimize the burden (such as the use of automated collection 
techniques or other forms of information technology), or any other 
aspect of this collection of information to: Docket No. 97-045-1, 
Regulatory Analysis and Development, PPD, APHIS, suite 3C03, 4700 River 
Road Unit 118, Riverdale, MD 20737-1238. Please send an original and 
three copies, and state that your comments refer to Docket 97-045-1. 
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: For information regarding regulations to 
prevent the introduction and spread of livestock and poultry diseases 
through the importation into the United States of restricted and 
controlled materials, contact Dr. Gary Colgrove, Chief Staff 
Veterinarian, National Center for Import and Export, VS, APHIS, 4700 
River Road, Unit 38, Riverdale, MD 20737-1231, (301) 734-3276; or e-
mail: GC[email protected]. For copies of more detailed information 
on the information collection, contact Ms. Cheryl Groves, APHIS' 
Information Collection Coordinator, at (301) 734-5086.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

    Title: Importation of Restricted and Controlled Animal and Poultry 
Products and Byproducts, Organisms, and Vectors into the United States.
    OMB Number: 0579-0015.
    Expiration Date of Approval: August 31, 1997.
    Type of Request: Extension of a currently approved information 
collection.
    Abstract: The United States Department of Agriculture restricts and 
controls the importation of certain animal and poultry products and 
byproducts, organisms, and vectors to prevent the introduction and 
spread of livestock and poultry diseases into the United States.
    To do this, we must collect information from a variety of 
individuals, both within and outside the United States, who are 
involved in handling, transporting, and importing these items. 
Collecting this information is critical to our mission of ensuring that 
these imported items do not present a disease risk to the livestock and 
poultry populations of the United States.
    If these information collections are not conducted, the United 
States will be at increased risk of an exotic disease incursion. The 
introduction of such diseases as rinderpest, foot-and-mouth disease, 
hog cholera, African swine fever, swine vesicular disease, and exotic 
Newcastle disease would have an

[[Page 32075]]

immeasurable impact upon the U.S. livestock and poultry industries, not 
only in the area of animal health, but also in the realm of 
international trade.
    Collecting this information requires us to use a number of forms 
and documents, which are described below. We are asking the Office of 
Management and Budget (OMB) to approve our use of these information 
gathering tools.
    The following forms and documents are currently in use:
    VS Form 16-25 (Application for Approval or Report of Inspection of 
Establishments Handling Restricted Animal Byproducts or Controlled 
Materials) is a dual purpose form. It is an application for those 
establishments requesting approval to handle restricted imported animal 
byproducts and controlled materials. It also serves as a report of 
inspections of establishments to ensure that restricted and controlled 
imports are being handled in compliance with our requirements.
    VS Form 16-26 (Agreement for Handling Restricted Imports of Animal 
Byproducts and Controlled Materials) is a form signed by an operator of 
an establishment wishing to handle restricted or controlled materials 
in which the operator agrees to comply with all requirements for 
handling the restricted and controlled materials.
    VS Form 16-3 (Application for Permit to Import Controlled 
Materials/Import or Transport Organisms or Vectors) is the application 
and agreement form used by individuals seeking a permit.
    Certain sections of 9 CFR parts 94 and 95 specify that various 
categories of animal products, byproducts, and controlled materials may 
be imported into the United States if authorization for such 
importation has been granted by the Administrator, Animal and Plant 
Health Inspection Service (APHIS). Such permission is given only when 
the Administrator is satisfied that the importation will not constitute 
an undue risk to U.S. livestock and poultry.
    9 CFR part 122 specifies that organisms that present a disease risk 
to animals or poultry, or vectors of such disease agents, may not be 
imported or moved interstate without a permit issued by the U.S. 
Department of Agriculture. Part 122 specifies that importers must 
obtain such permits prior to the importation or interstate transport of 
the organism or vector.
    Prospective importers make application for import authorization by 
completing the appropriate sections of VS Form 16-3. APHIS personnel 
must have the essential data concerning the proposed importation in 
order to evaluate the request and determine what safeguard measures are 
appropriate in each case and to advise APHIS port and border personnel 
regarding clearance of arriving shipments.
    Certificates. Under 9 CFR parts 94, 95, and 96, certain animal and 
poultry products must have a certificate from the national government 
of the exporting country to be eligible for importation into the United 
States. These certificates are required to verify that the animal or 
poultry products meet the sanitary requirements of our regulations 
(e.g., originated from disease-free animals and from animals native to 
the country of origin, or were prepared in a certain manner in an 
approved establishment).
    The certificate accompanies each shipment to the United States. 
Upon arrival of the shipment, the certificate is presented to APHIS 
port inspectors who evaluate the information according to the 
permission authorization and 9 CFR parts 94, 95, and 96.
    The certificate, signed by a full-time salaried veterinary official 
from the country of origin, or other authorized person, provides us 
with information that enables us to determine whether an article meets 
our requirements for importation.
    Seals. Certain animal or poultry products and byproducts must be 
shipped in sealed containers or holds to ensure that the integrity of 
the shipment is not violated. The seals must be numbered, the numbers 
of the seals must be recorded on the government certificate that 
accompanies the shipment, and the seals must not have been tampered 
with. USDA inspectors at the port of entry inspect the seals and verify 
that the seals are intact and that the numbers match those on the 
certificates.
    Compliance agreement, recordkeeping requirements. Certain animal or 
poultry products and byproducts are required to be processed in a 
certain manner in an establishment in a foreign country before being 
exported to the United States. We require an official of the processing 
plant to sign a written agreement prepared by APHIS. By signing this 
agreement, this official certifies that the animal products being 
exported to the United States have been processed in a manner approved 
by USDA, and that adequate records of these exports are being 
maintained.
    Marking requirements. Before certain animal products may enter the 
United States, they must be marked, with an ink stamp or brand, to 
indicate that the products have originated from an approved meat 
processing establishment and have been inspected by appropriate 
veterinary authorities. The mark is applied to the meat product by 
processing plant personnel.
    The following forms and documents were proposed for use in APHIS 
Docket No. 94-106-1, ``Importation of Animals and Animal Products'' (61 
FR 16978-17105), and were given preliminary approval under OMB control 
number 0579-0015. Although these requirements may change (a final rule 
has not yet been published), we are seeking a continuation of the 
preliminary approval.
    Foreign meat inspection certificate for importation of fresh meat 
from FMD or rinderpest, risk class R2 regions. This certificate, 
completed by a veterinary official of the exporting region, certifies 
that the meat product has originated from a region that has been 
assigned to an R2 risk class.
    Foreign meat inspection certificate for importation of fresh meat 
from FMD or Rinderpest, risk class R3 regions. This certificate, 
completed by a veterinary official of the exporting region, certifies 
that the meat product has originated from a region that has been 
assigned to an R3 risk class.
    Certification of a national government for importation of pork or 
pork products from a swine vesicular disease-free region. This is a 
statement, completed by a government official of an exporting region, 
certifying the U.S. destined pork or pork products originated in a 
region that is free from swine vesicular disease.
    Cleaning and disinfecting methods. This is a letter from veterinary 
officials of an exporting region stating that appropriate cleaning and 
disinfecting methods have been applied to trucks, railroad cars, or 
other means of conveyance used to transport certain animal products 
destined for the United States.
    The purpose of this notice is to solicit comments from the public 
(as well as affected agencies) concerning these information collection 
activities. We need this outside input to help us accomplish the 
following:
    (1) Evaluate whether the proposed collection of information is 
necessary for the proper performance of the functions of the Agency, 
including whether the information will have practical utility;
    (2) Evaluate the accuracy of our estimate of the burden of the 
proposed collection of information, including the validity of the 
methodology and assumptions used;
    (3) Enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to 
be collected; and
    (4) Minimize the burden of the collection of information on those 
who are to respond, through use, as

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appropriate, of automated, electronic, mechanical, and other collection 
technologies, e.g., permitting electronic submission of responses.
    Estimate of Burden: Public reporting burden for this collection of 
information is estimated to average .45176 hours per response.
    Respondents: Importers, shippers, foreign animal health 
authorities.
    Estimated Number of Respondents: 8,955.
    Estimated Numbers of Responses per Respondent: 11.63.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden on Respondents: 47,049 hours.
    All responses to this notice will be summarized and included in the 
request for OMB approval. All comments will also become a matter of 
public record.

    Done in Washington, DC, this 5th day of June 1997.
Bobby R. Acord,
Acting Administrator, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.
[FR Doc. 97-15437 Filed 6-11-97; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-34-P