[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 159 (Tuesday, August 18, 1998)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 44123-44124]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-22182]



 ========================================================================
 Rules and Regulations
                                                 Federal Register
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
 This section of the FEDERAL REGISTER contains regulatory documents 
 having general applicability and legal effect, most of which are keyed 
 to and codified in the Code of Federal Regulations, which is published 
 under 50 titles pursuant to 44 U.S.C. 1510.
 
 The Code of Federal Regulations is sold by the Superintendent of Documents. 
 Prices of new books are listed in the first FEDERAL REGISTER issue of each 
 week.
 
 ========================================================================
 

  Federal Register / Vol. 63, No. 159 / Tuesday, August 18, 1998 / 
Rules and Regulations  

[[Page 44123]]


=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service

9 CFR Part 94

[Docket No. 98-002-2]


Change in Disease Status of Great Britain Because of Exotic 
Newcastle Disease

AGENCY: Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, USDA.

ACTION: Final rule.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: We are recognizing Great Britain as free of exotic Newcastle 
disease (END). This action is based on information received from Great 
Britain's Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, and Food, and is in 
accordance with standards set by the Office International des 
Epizooties for recognizing a country as free of END. This action will 
relieve restrictions on the importation of carcasses, or parts or 
products of carcasses, of poultry, game birds, or other birds from 
Great Britain. It will relieve the END-specific restrictions on the 
importation of eggs (other than hatching eggs) laid by poultry, game 
birds, or other birds from Great Britain. This action will also relieve 
the quarantine requirements for poultry hatching eggs imported from 
Great Britain.

EFFECTIVE DATE: September 2, 1998.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dr. John Cougill, Staff Veterinarian, 
Products Program, National Center for Import and Export, VS, APHIS, 
4700 River Road Unit 40, Riverdale, MD 20737-1231, (301) 734-3399; or 
e-mail: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

    The regulations in 9 CFR part 94 (referred to below as the 
regulations) govern the importation into the United States of specified 
animals and animal products in order to prevent the introduction of 
various animal diseases, including exotic Newcastle disease (END), into 
the United States. END is a contagious, infectious, and communicable 
disease of birds and poultry.
    On April 21, 1998, we published in the Federal Register (63 FR 
19667-19668, Docket No. 98-002-1) a proposal to recognize Great Britain 
as free of exotic Newcastle disease (END). The proposed action was 
based on information received from Great Britain's Ministry of 
Agriculture, Fisheries, and Food, and standards set by the Office 
International des Epizooties (OIE) for recognizing a country as free of 
END. Recognizing Great Britain as free of END would relieve 
restrictions on the importation of carcasses, or parts or products of 
carcasses, of poultry, game girds, or other birds from Great Britain, 
relieve the END-specific restrictions on the importation of eggs (other 
than hatching eggs) laid by poultry, game birds, or other birds from 
Great Britain, and relieve the quarantine requirements for poultry 
hatching eggs imported from Great Britain.
    We solicited comments concerning our proposal for 60 days ending 
June 22, 1998. We did not receive any comments. Therefore, for the 
reasons given in the proposed rule, we are adopting the proposed rule 
as a final rule without change.

Effective Date

    This is a substantive rule that relieves restrictions and, pursuant 
to the provisions of 5 U.S.C. 553, may be made effective less than 30 
days after publication in the Federal Register. This rule relieves 
certain restrictions on the importation into the United States of 
carcasses, or parts or products of carcasses, of poultry, game birds, 
or other birds from Great Britain. We have determined that 
approximately 2 weeks are needed to ensure that Animal and Plant Health 
Inspection Service personnel at ports of entry receive official notice 
of these changes in the regulations. Therefore, the Administrator of 
the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service has determined that this 
rule should be made effective 15 days after publication in the Federal 
Register.

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.
    This rule will recognize Great Britain as free of END. This action 
is based on information received from Great Britain's Ministry of 
Agriculture, Fisheries, and Food and is in accordance with OIE 
standards for recognizing a country as free of END. This rule will 
relieve restrictions on the importation of carcasses, or parts or 
products of carcasses, of poultry, game birds, or other birds from 
Great Britain. It will relieve the END-specific restrictions on the 
importation of eggs (other than hatching eggs) laid by poultry, game 
birds, or other birds from Great Britain. This rule will also relieve 
the quarantine requirements for poultry hatching eggs imported from 
Great Britain.
    The United States imports few eggs, only about 0.1 percent of U.S. 
production. The United States is a very strong net exporter of poultry 
products, with imports of only 3,546 metric tons and exports of more 
than 2 million metric tons in 1996 (``World Trade Atlas,'' June 1997). 
More than 99 percent of U.S. poultry product imports originate in 
Canada. Prior to January 31, 1997, when APHIS removed Great Britain 
from the list of END-free regions, U.S. imports of poultry products 
from the United Kingdom, which includes Great Britain and Northern 
Ireland, accounted for less than 2 percent of the total U.S. imports of 
poultry products.1
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \1\ Trade data for Great Britain alone was not available.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    U.S. producers, consumers, and importers of poultry products may be 
potentially affected by this rule. However, because the volume of 
poultry products previously imported from the United Kingdom was so 
small compared to the amount produced domestically, and because the 
total volume of overall poultry product imports is also very small, 
little or no impact on consumer and producer prices and on importers is 
expected.
    Under these circumstances, the Administrator of the Animal and 
Plant Health Inspection Service has

[[Page 44124]]

determined that this action will not have a significant economic impact 
on a substantial number of small entities.

Executive Order 12988

    This rule has been reviewed under Executive Order 12988, Civil 
Justice Reform. This rule: (1) Preempts all State and local laws and 
regulations that are inconsistent 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

    This rule contains no new information collection or recordkeeping 
requirements under the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. 3501 
et seq.).

List of Subjects in 9 CFR Part 94

    Animal diseases, Imports, Livestock, Meat and meat products, Milk, 
Poultry and poultry products, Reporting and recordkeeping requirements.

    Accordingly, we are amending 9 CFR part 94 as follows:

PART 94--RINDERPEST, FOOT-AND-MOUTH DISEASE, FOWL PEST (FOWL 
PLAGUE), EXOTIC NEWCASTLE DISEASE, AFRICAN SWINE FEVER, HOG 
CHOLERA, AND BOVINE SPONGIFORM ENCEPHALOPATHY: PROHIBITED AND 
RESTRICTED IMPORTATIONS

    1. The authority citation for part 94 continues to read as follows:

    Authority: 7 U.S.C. 147a, 150ee, 161, 162, and 450; 19 U.S.C. 
1306; 21 U.S.C. 111, 114a, 134a, 134b, 134c, 134f, 136, and 136a; 31 
U.S.C. 9701; 42 U.S.C. 4331 and 4332; 7 CFR 2.22, 2.80, and 
371.2(d).


Sec. 94.6  [Amended]

    2. In Sec. 94.6, paragraph (a)(2) is amended by adding the words 
``Great Britain (England, Scotland, Wales, and the Isle of Man),'' 
immediately after the word ``Finland,''.

    Done in Washington, DC, this 10th day of August 1998.
Joan M. Arnoldi,
Acting Administrator, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.
[FR Doc. 98-22182 Filed 8-17-98; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-34-P