[Federal Register Volume 67, Number 136 (Tuesday, July 16, 2002)]
[Notices]
[Pages 46628-46629]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 02-17795]


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 Notices
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 This section of the FEDERAL REGISTER contains documents other than rules 
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  Federal Register / Vol. 67, No. 136 / Tuesday, July 16, 2002 / 
Notices  

[[Page 46628]]



DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service

[Docket No. 01-018-2]


Availability of Evaluation Related to FMD Status of Great Britain

AGENCY: Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice of availability and request for comments.

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SUMMARY: We are advising the public that an evaluation has been 
prepared by the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service concerning 
the foot-and-mouth disease status of Great Britain (England, Scotland, 
Wales, and the Isle of Man) and the related disease risks associated 
with importing animals and animal products into the United States from 
Great Britain. This evaluation will be used as a basis for determining 
whether to relieve certain prohibitions and restrictions on the 
importation of ruminants and swine and fresh (chilled or frozen) meat 
and other products of ruminants and swine into the United States from 
Great Britain. We are making this evaluation available to the public 
for review and comment.

DATES: We will consider all comments that we receive on or before 
September 16, 2002.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments by postal mail/commercial delivery 
or by e-mail. If you use postal mail/commercial delivery, please send 
four copies of your comment (an original and three copies) to: Docket 
No. 01-018-2, Regulatory Analysis and Development, PPD, APHIS, Station 
3C71, 4700 River Road Unit 118, Riverdale, MD 20737-1238. Please state 
that your comment refers to Docket No. 01-018-2. If you use e-mail, 
address your comment to [email protected]. Your comment must 
be contained in the body of your message; do not send attached files. 
Please include your name and address in your message and ``Docket No. 
01-018-2'' on the subject line.
    You may read any comments that we receive on the evaluation 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: Dr. Anne Goodman, Supervisory Staff 
Officer, Regionalization Evaluation Services, VS, APHIS, 4700 River 
Road Unit 38, Riverdale, MD 20737-1231; (301) 734-4356.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

    The regulations in 9 CFR part 94 (referred to below as the 
regulations) govern the importation of certain animals and animal 
products into the United States in order to prevent the introduction of 
various animal diseases, including rinderpest and foot-and-mouth 
disease (FMD). These are dangerous and destructive communicable 
diseases of ruminants and swine. Section 94.1 of the regulations lists 
regions of the world that are considered free of rinderpest or free of 
both rinderpest and FMD. Rinderpest or FMD is considered to exist in 
all parts of the world not listed. Section 94.11 of the regulations 
lists regions of the world that the Animal and Plant Health Inspection 
Service (APHIS) has determined to be free of rinderpest and FMD, but 
from which importation of meat and animal products into the United 
States is restricted because of the regions' proximity to or trading 
relationships with rinderpest- or FMD-affected regions.
    In an interim rule effective January 15, 2001, and published in the 
Federal Register on March 14, 2001 (66 FR 14825-14826, Docket No. 01-
018-1), we amended the regulations by removing Great Britain (England, 
Scotland, Wales, and the Isle of Man) and Northern Ireland from the 
list of regions considered to be free of rinderpest and FMD. This 
action was necessary because FMD had been confirmed in both of those 
regions. The effect of the interim rule was to prohibit or restrict the 
importation of any ruminant or swine and any fresh (chilled or frozen) 
meat and other products of ruminants or swine into the United States 
from Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
    Although we removed Great Britain and Northern Ireland from the 
list of regions considered to be free of rinderpest and FMD, we 
recognized that the appropriate authorities had responded to the 
detection of FMD by imposing restrictions on the movement of ruminants, 
swine, and ruminant and swine products from FMD-affected areas; by 
conducting heightened surveillance activities; and by initiating 
measures to eradicate the disease. We stated that we intended to 
reassess the situations in both regions at a future date in accordance 
with Office International des Epizooties (OIE) standards, and that as 
part of that reassessment process, we would consider all comments 
received regarding the interim rules.
    Additionally, we stated that the future reassessments would enable 
us to determine whether it was necessary to continue to prohibit or 
restrict the importation of ruminants or swine and any fresh (chilled 
or frozen) meat and other products of ruminants or swine from Great 
Britain and Northern Ireland, or whether we can restore Great Britain 
and Northern Ireland to the list of regions in which FMD is not known 
to exist, or regionalize portions of Great Britain or Northern Ireland 
as FMD-free.
    On January 9, 2002, we published a final rule in the Federal 
Register (67 FR 1072-1074, Docket No. 01-031-3) in which we restored 
Northern Ireland (as well as the Netherlands) to the list of regions 
considered to be free of rinderpest and FMD and the list of regions 
subject to certain import restrictions on meat and animal products 
because of their proximity to or trading relationships with rinderpest-
or FMD-affected regions. The action with respect to Northern Ireland 
and the Netherlands was based on the results of an evaluation that 
found each region

[[Page 46629]]

met the standards of the OIE for being considered to be free of FMD.
    In this notice, we are announcing the availability for review and 
comment of a document entitled ``APHIS Evaluation of FMD Status of 
Great Britain (England, Scotland, Wales, and the Isle of Man)'' (May 
2002). This evaluation assesses the FMD status of Great Britain and the 
related disease risks associated with importing animals and animal 
products into the United States from Great Britain. This evaluation 
will serve as a basis to determine whether to relieve certain 
prohibitions and restrictions on the importation of ruminants and swine 
and fresh (chilled or frozen) meat and other products of ruminants and 
swine into the United States from Great Britain. We are making the 
evaluation available for public comment for 60 days.
    You may view the evaluation in our reading room (information on the 
location and hours of the reading room is provided under the heading 
ADDRESSES at the beginning of this notice).
    You may also request a copy by calling or writing to the person 
listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT. Please refer to the title 
of the evaluation when requesting copies.
    You may also view the evaluation on the Internet at http://www.aphis.usda/gov/vs/reg-request.html. At the bottom of that website 
page, click on ``Information previously submitted by Regions requesting 
export approval and their supporting documentation.'' At the next 
screen, click on the triangle beside ``European Union/Animals and 
Animal Products/Foot-and-Mouth Disease,'' then on the triangle beside 
``Response by APHIS.'' A link will then appear for ``APHIS Evaluation 
of FMD Status of Great Britain (England, Scotland, Wales, and the Isle 
of Man), May 2002.'' Following that link will allow you to view the 
evaluation.

    Authority: 7 U.S.C. 450, 7711-7714, 7751, 7754, 8303, 8306, 
8308, 8310, 8311, and 8315; 21 U.S.C. 136 and 136a; 31 U.S.C. 9701; 
42 U.S.C. 4331 and 4332; 7 CFR 2.22, 2.80, and 371.4.

    Done in Washington, DC, this 10th day of July 2002 .
Peter Fernandez,
Acting Administrator, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.
[FR Doc. 02-17795 Filed 7-15-02; 8:45 am]
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