[Federal Register Volume 66, Number 173 (Thursday, September 6, 2001)]
[Notices]
[Pages 46596-46597]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 01-22403]


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 Notices
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 This section of the FEDERAL REGISTER contains documents other than rules 
 or proposed rules that are applicable to the public. Notices of hearings 
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  Federal Register / Vol. 66, No. 173 / Thursday, September 6, 2001 / 
Notices  

[[Page 46596]]



DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service

[Docket No. 01-044-1]


Notice of Request for Reinstatement of an Information Collection

AGENCY: Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, USDA.

ACTION: Reinstatement of approval of an information collection; 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 a reinstatement of an information collection 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: We invite you to comment on this docket. We will consider all 
comments that we receive by November 5, 2001.

ADDRESSES: Please send four copies of your comment (an original and 
three copies) to: Docket No. 01-044-1, Regulatory Analysis and 
Development, PPD, APHIS, Suite 3C03, 4700 River Road Unit 118, 
Riverdale, MD 20737-1238. Please state that your comment refers to 
Docket No. 01-044-1.
    You may read any comments that we receive on this docket in our 
reading room. The reading room is located in room 1141 of the USDA 
South Building, 14th Street and Independence Avenue SW., Washington, 
DC. Normal reading room hours are 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through 
Friday, except holidays. To be sure someone is there to help you, 
please call (202) 690-2817 before coming.
    APHIS documents published in the Federal Register, and related 
information, including the names of organizations and individuals who 
have commented on APHIS dockets, are available on the Internet at 
http://www.aphis.usda.gov/ppd/rad/webrepor.html.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 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. Tracye Butler, Senior Staff 
Veterinarian, National Center for Import and Export, VS, APHIS, 4700 
River Road Unit 40, Riverdale, MD 20737-1232; (301) 734-3277. For 
copies of more detailed information on the information collection, 
contact Mrs. Celeste Sickles, APHIS'' Information Collection 
Coordinator, at (301) 734-7477.

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.
    Type of Request: Reinstatement of an information collection.
    Abstract: The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) 
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 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 for 3 years.
    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.
    Under 9 CFR part 122, 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 may apply 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

[[Page 46597]]

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 the 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.
    Foreign meat inspection certificate for importation of fresh meat 
from regions free of FMD and rinderpest, but subject to certain 
restrictions due to their proximity to, or trading relationships with, 
regions where FMD or rinderpest exists. This certificate, completed by 
a veterinary official of the exporting region, provides specific 
information regarding the establishment where the animals were 
slaughtered, the origin of the animals, and the processing and handling 
of the meat or other animal products.
    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 product 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. These comments will help us:
    (1) Evaluate whether the information collection is necessary for 
the proper performance of our agency's functions, including whether the 
information will have practical utility;
    (2) Evaluate the accuracy of our estimate of the burden of the 
information collection, 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 appropriate, of automated, 
electronic, mechanical, and other collection technologies, e.g., 
permitting electronic submission of responses.
    Estimate of burden: The public reporting burden for this collection 
of information is estimated to average 0.306554 hours per response.
    Respondents: Importers, exporters, shippers, foreign animal health 
authorities, owner/operators of establishments that handle restricted 
and controlled materials.
    Estimated annual number of respondents: 7,098.
    Estimated annual number of responses per respondent: 8.0545224.
    Estimated annual number of responses: 57,171.
    Estimated total annual burden on respondents: 17,526 hours. (Due to 
averaging, the total annual burden hours may not equal the product of 
the annual number of responses multiplied by the reporting burden per 
response.)
    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 30th day of August 2001.
Alfonso Torres,
Acting Administrator, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.
[FR Doc. 01-22403 Filed 9-5-01; 8:45 am]
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