[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 74 (Monday, April 17, 2000)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 20333-20337]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-9491]



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  Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 74 / Monday, April 17, 2000 / Rules 
and Regulations  

[[Page 20333]]



DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service

9 CFR Part 94

[Docket No. 98-029-2]


Change in Disease Status of the Republic of South Africa Because 
of Foot-and-Mouth Disease and Rinderpest

AGENCY: Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, USDA.

ACTION: Final rule.

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SUMMARY: We are declaring the Republic of South Africa, except the 
foot-and-mouth disease controlled area, which includes Kruger National 
Park, free of foot-and-mouth disease. We are also declaring all of the 
Republic of South Africa free of rinderpest. We are taking these 
actions because there have been no outbreaks of foot-and-mouth disease 
in the Republic of South Africa, except in the foot-and-mouth disease 
controlled area, since 1957, and there have been no outbreaks of 
rinderpest in the Republic of South Africa since 1903. These actions 
will relieve certain restrictions due to foot-and-mouth disease and 
rinderpest on the importation into the United States of certain live 
animals and animal products from all regions of the Republic of South 
Africa, except the foot-and-mouth disease controlled area. However, 
because we do not consider the Republic of South Africa to be free of 
hog cholera, African swine fever, and swine vesicular disease, the 
importation of live swine, and meat and other products from swine, into 
the United States from the Republic of South Africa will continue to be 
subject to certain restrictions.

EFFECTIVE DATE: May 2, 2000.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dr. Glen I. Garris, Supervisory Staff 
Officer, Regionalization Evaluation Services Staff, National Center for 
Import and Export, VS, APHIS, 4700 River Road Unit 39, Riverdale, MD 
20737-1231; (301) 734-4356.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

    The regulations in 9 CFR part 94 (referred to below as the 
regulations) prohibit or restrict the importation of specified animals 
and animal products into the United States to help prevent the 
introduction of various diseases, including foot-and-mouth disease 
(FMD) and rinderpest. FMD and rinderpest are highly contagious and 
destructive diseases of ruminants and swine.
    Section 94.1(a) of the regulations provides that rinderpest or FMD 
exists in all regions of the world except those listed in 
Sec. 94.1(a)(2) as free of both of those diseases and those listed in 
Sec. 94.1(a)(3) as free of rinderpest. The regulations in Sec. 94.1(b) 
prohibit, with certain exceptions, the importation into the United 
States of any ruminant or swine, or any fresh (chilled or frozen) meat 
of any ruminant or swine, that originates from a region where 
rinderpest or FMD exists, or that has entered a port in or otherwise 
transited a region where rinderpest or FMD exists. Also, the 
regulations in Sec. 94.2 restrict the importation of fresh (chilled or 
frozen) products, other than meat, and milk and milk products of 
ruminants or swine that originate in or transit a region where 
rinderpest or FMD exists. Additionally, the importation of organs, 
glands, extracts, and secretions of ruminants or swine originating in a 
region where rinderpest or FMD exists is restricted under the 
regulations in Sec. 94.3, and the importation of cured or cooked meat 
from a region where rinderpest or FMD exists is restricted under the 
regulations in Sec. 94.4. Finally, the regulations in 9 CFR part 98 
restrict the importation of ruminant and swine embryos and animal semen 
from a region where rinderpest or FMD exists.
    The Government of the Republic of South Africa has requested that 
the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) recognize the Republic of 
South Africa as free of rinderpest. It also has requested that USDA 
recognize the Republic of South Africa, except the FMD-controlled area, 
which includes Kruger National Park, as free of FMD.
    On February 17, 1999, we published in the Federal Register (64 FR 
7816-7822, Docket No. 98-029-1) a proposal to amend the regulations by 
declaring the Republic of South Africa, except the FMD-controlled area 
(which extends from the Republic of South Africa's border with 
Mozambique approximately 30 to 90 kilometers into the Republic of South 
Africa to include Kruger National Park and surveillance and control 
zones around the park, and elsewhere extends, from east to west, 
approximately 10 to 20 kilometers into the Republic of South Africa 
along its borders with Mozambique, Swaziland, Zimbabwe, Botswana, and 
the southeast part of the border with Namibia), free of FMD. We also 
proposed to declare all of the Republic of South Africa free of 
rinderpest. In addition, we proposed to add the proposed FMD-free area 
of the Republic of South Africa to the list of regions in Sec. 94.11(a) 
that are declared free of rinderpest and FMD but are still subject to 
some restrictions on the importation of their meat and other animal 
products into the United States because they share land borders with or 
trade freely with regions that we do not recognize as being free of 
these diseases. We did not propose any changes to the restrictions we 
have on importations of swine and swine products from the Republic of 
South Africa because of hog cholera, African swine fever, and swine 
vesicular disease because we do not recognize the Republic of South 
Africa as being free of these diseases.
    We solicited comments concerning our proposal for 60 days ending 
April 19, 1999. We received 17 comments by that date. They were from a 
State agricultural experiment station, a veterinary association, the 
Republic of South Africa, and private citizens. Three of the commenters 
supported the proposal as written. Twelve commenters supported the 
proposed rule, except with respect to the importation of animal semen 
and embryos from the Republic of South Africa. One commenter expressed 
concerns regarding various aspects of the docket, including how we 
proposed to regulate animal semen and embryos. One commenter expressed 
concerns about the effects that additional imports might have on the 
domestic Boer goat

[[Page 20334]]

industry. All of the issues raised by the commenters are discussed 
below.

Importation of Semen and Embryos

    In the proposal, we stated that the importation of ruminant and 
swine embryos and semen from the Republic of South Africa would be 
restricted as provided in subparts B and C of 9 CFR part 98 due to the 
presence of other ruminant and swine diseases (meaning diseases other 
than rinderpest and FMD). Thirteen commenters stated that the proposed 
restrictions on the importation of animal embryos and semen from the 
Republic of South Africa into the United States were unnecessarily 
stringent. We agree. Our citation to subpart B of 9 CFR part 98 was 
incorrect; we should have cited subpart A. Subpart B pertains to the 
importation of ruminant and swine embryos from regions where rinderpest 
or FMD exists. Under this final rule, ruminant and swine embryos from 
the Republic of South Africa, except the FMD-controlled area, may be 
imported in accordance with subpart A of 9 CFR part 98, which, among 
other things, sets forth the requirements for the importation of 
ruminant and swine embryos from regions free of rinderpest and FMD. The 
requirements in subpart A are less stringent than those in subpart B. 
In addition, the importation of ruminant and swine semen into the 
United States from the Republic of South Africa, except the FMD-
controlled area, would be allowed as provided in subpart C of 9 CFR 
part 98 for animal semen from regions where rinderpest and FMD do not 
exist. Both subparts A and C include provisions for ensuring that other 
diseases that may be present in the Republic of South Africa are not 
introduced into the United States.

Swine Diseases

    We stated in our proposed rule that the importation of swine and 
swine products from the Republic of South Africa would continue to be 
restricted because of hog cholera, swine vesicular disease (SVD), and 
African swine fever (ASF). One commenter objected. He stated that the 
Republic of South Africa has been free of hog cholera since 1918, and 
that SVD has never been diagnosed in the Republic of South Africa. In 
addition, the commenter stated that the Republic of South Africa has an 
ASF-controlled area and that the last outbreak of ASF in the free area, 
in February 1996, was due to an illegal movement of pigs from the ASF-
controlled area. The commenter maintained that information regarding 
hog cholera and SVD in the Republic of South Africa is supplied by the 
Office International des Epizooties (OIE), which is the international 
standard-setting body for animal health. The commenter stated that the 
World Trade Organization Agreement on Sanitary and Phytosanitary 
Measures (WTO-SPS Agreement) requires us to provide a scientific basis 
for deviations from international standards.
    The WTO-SPS Agreement requires that measures be scientifically 
sound, guided by international standards, adapted to regional 
conditions, transparent, risk-assessment based, taken in recognition 
that equal levels of risk mitigation may be achieved by applying 
differing sanitary measures, and be applied in a manner that is not 
arbitrarily or unjustifiably discriminating. Nations acting in 
accordance with the principles of the WTO-SPS Agreement may impose 
sanitary or phytosanitary requirements necessary to protect human, 
animal, or plant life or health.
    The regulations in Secs. 94.8, 94.9(a), and 94.12(a) describe 
regions in which ASF, hog cholera, and SVD, respectively, are 
considered to exist, including the Republic of South Africa. If the 
Republic of South Africa wishes to export live swine or meat and other 
products of swine to the United States under less restrictive 
conditions than currently apply and submits the request to us in 
accordance with 9 CFR part 92, we will evaluate the request in 
accordance with that part.
    One commenter stated that ASF is a swine disease and that ruminant 
meat, embryos, and semen cannot be restricted based on the presence of 
ASF in certain areas of the Republic of South Africa.
    We are not restricting the importation of ruminant meat, embryos, 
or semen because of the presence of ASF in the Republic of South 
Africa. Under this final rule, the importation of ruminant meat will 
continue to be restricted under Sec. 94.11 because of the potential for 
it to be commingled with meat imported into the Republic of South 
Africa from regions where rinderpest or FMD exists. (See additional 
discussion below under ``Trade Practices.'')
    Ruminant embryos and semen may be imported in accordance with 9 CFR 
part 98, subparts A and C, respectively, and import conditions will not 
be affected by the presence or absence of ASF because that disease does 
not affect ruminants.

Trade Practices

    We proposed to add the Republic of South Africa to the list of 
regions in Sec. 94.11 that are free of rinderpest and FMD but are still 
subject to restrictions with respect to imports of meat and other 
animal products into the United States because of their trade practices 
with regions of higher risk for rinderpest and FMD.
    One commenter objected to our listing the Republic of South Africa 
in Sec. 94.11. The commenter stated that the Republic of South Africa 
was unaware of any international standard that allows a member country 
to restrict trade in products from free regions because of importation 
policies of those free regions. He stated that the Republic of South 
Africa's importation policies have been effective for over 40 years in 
preventing the introduction of FMD and rinderpest into the Republic of 
South Africa and that we should recognize those measures as equivalent 
in accordance with the WTO-SPS Agreement. The commenter further stated 
that the Republic of South Africa should be able to recognize other 
FMD- and rinderpest-free regions based on its own evaluation and should 
not have to discriminate against animals imported from regions 
recognized by the Republic of South Africa, but not by the United 
States, as free of FMD and rinderpest. The commenter also stated that, 
while the Republic of South Africa was willing to certify, as required 
by Sec. 94.11, that slaughtered animals are from areas free of FMD and 
rinderpest, the Republic of South Africa objects to certifying that 
slaughtered animals were born and raised in the FMD-free area of the 
Republic of South Africa. The commenter specifically mentioned Namibia 
and Botswana as having FMD-free zones recognized by the OIE and said 
that the United States should recognize them as well. The commenter 
requested a copy of our risk assessment supporting our restrictions on 
ruminant and swine meat from the Republic of South Africa. The 
commenter also objected to the requirement in Sec. 94.11 that 
certifications under that section must be made by a full-time salaried 
veterinary official of the national government.
    The WTO-SPS Agreement obliges member countries to be transparent in 
developing SPS measures. The measures developed should be based on 
sound scientific principles, risk assessments, guided by relevant 
international standards, and applied without arbitrarily or 
unjustifiably discriminating. The principles of equivalence and 
adaptation to regional conditions should be encompassed within the 
measures. APHIS published its policy for applying these concepts to the 
importation of animals and animal products in the Federal Register on

[[Page 20335]]

October 28, 1997 (see 62 FR 56027-56033, Docket No. 94-106-8.) As noted 
in that document, regions classified as ``free'' of a certain disease 
can present different levels of risk. Currently, Sec. 94.11 of the 
regulations addresses this risk, with respect to rinderpest and FMD, by 
imposing restrictions on the importation of meat from regions that are 
``free'' of these diseases, but that present a higher disease risk due 
to importation practices of these regions or their geographical 
proximity to regions with a higher disease risk. Paragraph (a) of 
Sec. 94.11 lists regions that are declared free of rinderpest and FMD 
but are subject to restrictions on the importation of their meat and 
animal products into the United States because they: (1) Supplement 
their national meat supply by importing fresh (chilled or frozen) meat 
of ruminants or swine from regions that are designated in Sec. 94.1(a) 
as regions where rinderpest or FMD exists; or (2) have a common land 
border with regions where rinderpest or FMD exists; or (3) import 
ruminants or swine from regions where rinderpest or FMD exists under 
conditions less restrictive than would be acceptable for importation 
into the United States. As a result of these practices, the meat or 
other products produced in the free region may be commingled with the 
fresh (chilled or frozen) meat of animals from a region where 
rinderpest or FMD exists, resulting in an undue risk of introducing 
rinderpest or FMD into the United States if the free region is allowed 
to export meat to the United States without restriction.
    Section 94.11 requires, among other things, that the meat or other 
products imported into the United States from a region listed in 
Sec. 94.11(a) be accompanied by a certificate that states, in part, 
that the meat or other animal product covered by the certificate was 
derived from animals born and raised in a region listed in Sec. 94.2(a) 
of the regulations as free of rinderpest and FMD and has never been in 
any region in which rinderpest or FMD existed. We believe this 
certification is necessary to ensure that the meat imported into the 
United States from the free region is from an animal that is free of 
the disease and that the meat has not been commingled with meat from a 
region where rinderpest or FMD exists.
    Section 94.11 requires this certification to be made by a full-time 
salaried veterinary official of the agency in the national government 
that is responsible for the health of the animals within that region. 
Because of the seriousness of the diseases Sec. 94.11 addresses, we 
believe it is appropriate for a full-time salaried veterinary official 
to provide the required certification.
    The Republic of South Africa recognizes FMD-free areas of Botswana 
and Namibia and imports ruminants and swine and ruminant and swine meat 
and other products from those regions under conditions that are less 
restrictive than would be acceptable for importation into the United 
States. The United States does not recognize Botswana or Namibia as 
being free of rinderpest or FMD, nor do we recognize FMD-free regions 
within either country. Further, neither country has requested that we 
evaluate its disease status with respect to rinderpest or FMD. As 
explained in our 1997 policy statement, we will continue to apply 
existing import requirements to countries listed in our regulations as 
free or not free of certain diseases until we amend our regulations 
based on a request to reevaluate a country's disease status or to 
regionalize a country for a certain disease. The request must come from 
the country wishing a change in status. The request must be made by a 
representative of the national government of that country who has the 
authority to request such a change, and the request must be accompanied 
by specific information about the region to be considered, in 
accordance with 9 CFR part 92. We will consider a region's listing by 
OIE in our assessment, but this will not be our sole criterion.
    Our policy does not interfere with the Republic of South Africa's 
right to trade with any region or to independently assess the disease 
status of a particular region based on its own criteria or regulations, 
just as the United States does.

Regulatory Flexibility Analysis

    One commenter stated that there is interest in the importation of 
cattle and small stock embryos from the Republic of South Africa into 
the United States. The commenter further stated that the volume of 
trade in embryos between the Republic of South Africa and the United 
States may increase based on our acceptance of the Republic of South 
Africa's disease status and certification procedure.
    The commenter did not identify the animals that he considered small 
stock, but we assume that small stock includes goats and sheep. We 
anticipate that there will be some imports of small stock semen and 
embryos from the Republic of South Africa to improve the genetics of 
some herds in the United States; however, we expect the amount to be 
relatively low because the population of goats and sheep within the 
United States is relatively small.

Other

    One commenter who breeds Boer goats requested the establishment of 
another port of entry, in Houston, TX, for importation. However, the 
commenter did not specify whether the port of entry should be for the 
importation of goats or goat embryos and semen. One commenter 
recommended requiring importers and owners of flocks that receive Boer 
goats and Boer goat germ plasm from the Republic of South Africa to 
meet certain requirements regarding domestic animal health, food 
safety, and livestock trade. This commenter also suggested restricting 
the rate of importation of Boer goats and Boer goat germ plasm from the 
Republic of South Africa into the United States to protect U.S. meat 
goat farmers and the U.S. Boer goat market.
    These comments are outside the scope of this rulemaking.
    Therefore, for the reasons given in the proposed rule and in this 
document, 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 U.S.C. 553, may be made effective less than 30 
days after publication in the Federal Register. This rule removes 
certain restrictions on the importation into the United States of 
certain animals and animal products from the Republic of South Africa, 
except the FMD-controlled area. 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. This 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 recognizes all of the Republic of South Africa as free of 
rinderpest and the Republic of South Africa, except the FMD-controlled 
area, as free of FMD. This action will relieve certain restrictions on 
the importation of animals and animal products into the United States 
from the Republic of South Africa. However, the importation of swine 
and pork and pork products will continue to be restricted because we do 
not consider the Republic of South Africa to be free of hog cholera, 
African swine fever, or swine vesicular disease.

[[Page 20336]]

    The following analysis examines the economic effects of this rule 
on small entities as required by the Regulatory Flexibility Act.
    The cattle industry in the Republic of South Africa is small 
relative to the cattle industry in the United States. In 1997, there 
were more than 101 million head of cattle in the United States, 
compared to more than 13 million in the Republic of South Africa. Of 
the 2 million head of cattle that were imported into the United States 
in 1996, more than 99 percent were from Canada and Mexico, and most of 
these were feeder and slaughter animals. Sheep and goat inventories in 
the United States are relatively small. In 1997, there were more than 7 
million sheep and goats in the United States, compared to more than 35 
million in the Republic of South Africa. Of the sheep that the United 
States imports, more than 99 percent are from Canada and Mexico 
(``World Trade Atlas,'' June 1997). In 1995, the United States imported 
460 goats and sheep from the Republic of South Africa; however, since 
1995, the United States has not imported any live goats and sheep from 
the Republic of South Africa. We do not believe that adoption of this 
rule will lead to a significant number of live ruminants being imported 
into the United States from the Republic of South Africa because of the 
cost of transporting the animals.
    We also do not believe that adoption of this rule will result in a 
significant amount of ruminant meat (beef, veal, mutton, and goat meat) 
and meat products imported into the United States from the Republic of 
South Africa. The Republic of South Africa's production of ruminant 
meat in 1997 was 1,542 million pounds, compared to 26,089 million 
pounds of ruminant meat produced in the United States. In 1997, the 
Republic of South Africa imported 196 million pounds of ruminant meat 
and exported 44 million pounds of ruminant meat. The Republic of South 
Africa trades primarily with the European Union, the Middle East, 
Japan, Korea, Australia, New Zealand, and neighboring African 
countries. The United States obtains more than 85 percent of its 
imports of ruminant meat and meat products from Australia, Canada, and 
New Zealand. We anticipate that this rule's effect on domestic supplies 
of ruminant meat and meat products will be negligible because we 
believe that the Republic of South Africa is unlikely to redirect a 
significant portion of its ruminant meat production for export 
exclusively to the United States, given that restrictions will remain 
in place for imports into the United States.
    The importation of dairy products from the Republic of South Africa 
into the United States should also be minimally affected by this rule. 
In 1998, U.S. exports and imports of dairy products were valued at more 
than $914 million and $1,465 million, respectively. In 1998, the United 
States exported more than $3.6 million worth of dairy products to the 
Republic of South Africa and imported more than $3.4 million worth of 
dairy products from the Republic of South Africa. We believe that it is 
highly unlikely that the United States will import a significant amount 
of dairy products from the Republic of South Africa because the United 
States is a net exporter of those products to the Republic of South 
Africa. Therefore, the effect on domestic dairy producers should be 
minimal.
    The importation of ruminant embryos and semen from the Republic of 
South Africa into the United States should also be minimally affected 
by this rule. The United States is a net exporter of both bovine semen 
and cattle embryos. In 1996, the value of U.S. bovine semen and cattle 
embryo imports was $7.7 million and $701,000, respectively, while the 
value of U.S. exports of bovine semen and cattle embryos was $63.1 
million and $12.6 million, respectively (''World Trade Atlas,'' June 
1997). Due to the trade balance and the size differences between the 
cattle industries of the United States and the Republic of South 
Africa, the amount of bovine semen and cattle embryos imported will 
likely be minimal and have a minimal effect on small domestic cattle 
producers.
    We believe that there will be a demand for the importation of Boer 
goat germ plasm from the Republic of South Africa to the United States. 
However, as previously stated, the goat industry within the United 
States is relatively small. As a result, we do not believe that the 
amount of germ plasm imported into the United States will be 
significant.
    The entities most likely to be affected by this rule are those 
entities engaged in the production of live ruminants and ruminant meat 
and meat products. The Small Business Administration's (SBA's) 
definition of a small cattle farm is one whose total sales is less than 
$0.5 million annually. In 1997, 99.4 percent of cattle and calf farms 
in the United States would have been considered small entities.
    The SBA's guidelines state that a small producer of products of 
swine or ruminants (part of Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) 
2011 or 2013, meat packing plants) is one employing fewer than 500 
workers. In 1997, 95 percent of the 1,393 meat packing establishments 
in SIC 2011 were considered small entities. These small establishments 
accounted for approximately 23.7 percent of the total value of 
shipments of the industry, or $54.5 billion. In 1997, 98.1 percent of 
the 1,297 establishments in SIC 2013 were considered small entities. 
These producers accounted for 78.3 percent of the total value of 
shipments of the industry, or $25 billion.
    Although the majority of the domestic entities potentially affected 
by this rule are small, there should be only a minimal change in the 
level of imports that may compete with the production of these small 
entities, and thus there would be a minimal effect on any domestic 
producer of these products, whether small or large.
    Under these circumstances, the Administrator of the Animal and 
Plant Health Inspection Service has 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.

National Environmental Policy Act

    An environmental assessment and finding of no significant impact 
have been prepared for this rule. The assessment provides a basis for 
the conclusion that the importation of certain live animals and animal 
products from all regions of the Republic of South Africa, except the 
FMD-controlled area, will not present a significant risk of introducing 
or disseminating FMD or rinderpest disease agents into the United 
States and would not have a significant impact on the quality of the 
human environment. Based on the finding of no significant impact, the 
Administrator of the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service has 
determined that an environmental impact statement need not be prepared.
    The environmental assessment and finding of no significant impact 
were prepared in accordance with: (1) The National Environmental Policy 
Act of 1969, as amended (NEPA) (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.), (2) 
regulations of the Council on Environmental Quality for implementing 
the procedural provisions of NEPA (40 CFR parts 1500-1508), (3) USDA 
regulations implementing NEPA

[[Page 20337]]

(7 CFR part 1b), and (4) APHIS' NEPA Implementing Procedures (7 CFR 
part 372).
    Copies of the environmental assessment and finding of no 
significant impact are available for public inspection 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 copies are requested to 
call ahead on (202)690-2817 to facilitate entry into the reading room. 
In addition, copies may be obtained by writing to the individual listed 
under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT.

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 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, 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. 94.1  [Amended]

    2. Section 94.1 is amended as follows:
    a. In paragraph (a)(2), by adding the words ``Republic of South 
Africa except the foot-and-mouth disease controlled area (which extends 
from the Republic of South Africa's border with Mozambique 
approximately 30 to 90 kilometers into the Republic of South Africa to 
include Kruger National Park and surveillance and control zones around 
the park, and elsewhere extends, from east to west, approximately 10 to 
20 kilometers into the Republic of South Africa along its borders with 
Mozambique, Swaziland, Zimbabwe, Botswana, and the southeast part of 
the border with Namibia),'' immediately after ``Republic of Korea,''.
    b. In paragraph (a)(3), by adding the words ``and the Republic of 
South Africa'' immediately after ``Greece''.
    c. In paragraph (b)(1), by removing the reference to ``part 92'' 
and adding in its place a reference to ``part 93''.


Sec. 94.11  [Amended]

    3. In Sec. 94.11, paragraph (a) is amended by adding, in the first 
sentence, the words ``Republic of South Africa except the foot-and-
mouth disease controlled area (which extends from the Republic of South 
Africa's border with Mozambique approximately 30 to 90 kilometers into 
the Republic of South Africa to include Kruger National Park and 
surveillance and control zones around the park, and elsewhere extends, 
from east to west, approximately 10 to 20 kilometers into the Republic 
of South Africa along its borders with Mozambique, Swaziland, Zimbabwe, 
Botswana, and the southeast part of the border with Namibia),'' 
immediately after ``Republic of Korea,''.

    Done in Washington, DC, this 11th day of April 2000.
Bobby R. Acord,
Acting Administrator, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.
[FR Doc. 00-9491 Filed 4-14-00; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-34-P