[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 221 (Wednesday, November 17, 1999)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 62569-62570]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-30020]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service

9 CFR Part 52

[Docket No. 98-123-5]


Pseudorabies in Swine; Receipt of Additional Funds and Extension 
of Indemnity Program

AGENCY: Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice of receipt of additional funds and extension of 
indemnity program.

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SUMMARY: In an interim rule published in the Federal Register on 
January 15, 1999, and effective as of January 12, 1999, we established 
animal health regulations to provide for the payment of indemnity by 
the United States Department of Agriculture for the voluntary 
depopulation of herds of swine known to be infected with pseudorabies. 
In that interim rule, we announced that the indemnity program would end 
when funds allocated for the program were depleted, but no later than 6 
months after publication of the interim rule. On July 12, 1999, we 
extended the program beyond the initial 6 months until further notice. 
We are giving notice that additional funds have been allocated for the 
program and that the indemnity program will continue until funds are 
depleted or until further notice.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dr. Reed Rollo, Senior Staff 
Veterinarian, VS, APHIS, USDA, 4700 River Road Unit 46, Riverdale, MD 
20737-1231; (301) 734-5286.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

    The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service's regulations in 9 
CFR part 52 govern the payment of indemnity to owners of herds of swine 
that are depopulated because they are infected with pseudorabies. 
Pseudorabies is a contagious, infectious, and communicable disease of 
livestock, primarily swine. The disease, also known as Aujesky's 
disease, mad itch, and infectious bulbar paralysis, is caused by a 
herpes virus and is known to cause reproductive problems, including 
abortion and stillborn death in neonatal pigs, and, occasionally, death 
in breeding and finishing hogs.
    A Federal eradication program for pseudorabies was implemented in 
the United States in 1989. The program is cooperative in nature and 
involves Federal, State, and industry participation. Industry/State/
Federal pseudorabies eradication efforts have been markedly successful. 
In 1992, for instance, approximately 8,000 herds of swine nationwide 
were known to be infected with the disease. At the end of 1998, 
approximately 1,300 herds were known to be infected. This represented 
slightly less than 1 percent of the herds of swine in the United 
States. The goal of the cooperative pseudorabies eradication program is 
the elimination of pseudorabies in the United States in the year 2000.
    However, in 1998, market conditions in the swine industry 
jeopardized the progress of the pseudorabies eradication program. 
Depressed market conditions caused some producers to eliminate the 
costs they had been incurring to participate in the eradication 
program. Continued cessation of eradication efforts, particularly the 
elimination of herd vaccination, would likely have resulted in an 
increase in the number of herds infected with pseudorabies. This growth 
in pseudorabies-infected herds would likely have extended the amount of 
time necessary to eradicate pseudorabies and would ultimately have cost 
both the industry and the Federal and State governments additional time 
and monies in eradication efforts.
    In response to this threat to the progress of the pseudorabies 
eradication program, we published an interim rule in the Federal 
Register (64 FR 2545-2550, Docket No. 98-123-2) on January 15, 1999, to 
establish an accelerated pseudorabies eradication program. In order to 
carry out the accelerated pseudorabies eradication program, the 
Secretary of Agriculture authorized the transfer of $80 million in 
funds from the Commodity Credit Corporation.
    Under the accelerated program, we began payment of fair market 
value to owners who depopulated infected herds. In addition to 
indemnity for the value of the animals, we have been providing funding 
for trucking costs to disposal, for euthanasia and disposal costs, and 
for cleaning and disinfection of conveyances used for transporting the 
swine to disposal.
    In our January 15, 1999, interim rule, we stated that the indemnity 
program would extend 6 months from the date of publication of the 
interim rule (until July 15, 1999) or until funds allocated for the 
program were depleted, whichever came first. Based on the time we 
estimated to be necessary to depopulate all known infected herds should 
all owners take part, we projected that 6 months would be long enough 
to complete the program but

[[Page 62570]]

short enough to encourage rapid depopulation of infected herds.
    Because, as of July 15, 1999, some States were still conducting 
their eradication programs, we considered it important to the 
pseudorabies eradication effort in the United States to continue our 
accelerated eradication program beyond that date. Therefore, on July 
12, 1999, we informed the public in a notice in the Federal Register 
(64 FR 37395, Docket No. 98-123-4) that we would continue the 
accelerated eradication program until further notice.
    To date, the accelerated pseudorabies eradication program, in 
combination with surveillance and quarantine under the ongoing standard 
pseudorabies eradication program, has significantly reduced the number 
of pseudorabies-infected herds in the United States. All States have 
eliminated or virtually eliminated their pseudorabies-infected herds, 
except for Indiana, Iowa, and Minnesota, which are still in the midst 
of substantial eradication programs.
    At the start of the accelerated pseudorabies eradication program, 
1,291 infected herds were known to exist in the United States. Enhanced 
surveillance for pseudorabies under the accelerated program contributed 
to the detection of another 550 infected herds. Of that total number of 
infected herds, 476 have been released from quarantine this year under 
the requirements of the ongoing standard pseudorabies eradication 
program and another 655 have been depopulated under the accelerated 
eradication program.
    Due to increased surveillance efforts associated with our 
accelerated eradication program, we expect to discover approximately 
200 more infected herds in FY 2000. In order to pay indemnity for those 
herds and for herds already known to be infected, we have received an 
additional $40 million to conduct the accelerated eradication program 
and will continue the accelerated program until further notice. The 
accelerated program will be operated in combination with the ongoing 
standard pseudorabies eradication program.

    Authority: 21 U.S.C. 111-113, 114, 114a, 114a-1, 120, 121, 125, 
and 134b; 7 CFR 2.22, 2.80, and 371.2(d).

    Done in Washington, DC, this 10th day of November, 1999.
Bobby R. Acord,
Acting Administrator, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.
[FR Doc. 99-30020 Filed 11-16-99; 8:45 am]
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