[Federal Register Volume 72, Number 20 (Wednesday, January 31, 2007)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 4463-4467]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E7-1530]


 

 ========================================================================
 Proposed Rules
                                                 Federal Register
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 This section of the FEDERAL REGISTER contains notices to the public of 
 the proposed issuance of rules and regulations. The purpose of these 
 notices is to give interested persons an opportunity to participate in 
 the rule making prior to the adoption of the final rules.
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  Federal Register / Vol. 72, No. 20 / Wednesday, January 31, 2007 / 
Proposed Rules  

[[Page 4463]]



DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service

9 CFR Part 94

[Docket No. APHIS-2006-0104]


Classical Swine Fever Status of the Mexican State of Nayarit

AGENCY: Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, USDA.

ACTION: Proposed rule.

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SUMMARY: We are proposing to amend the regulations for importing 
animals and animal products by adding the Mexican State of Nayarit to 
the list of regions considered free of classical swine fever (CSF). We 
are proposing this action at the request of the Mexican Government and 
the State of Nayarit, and after conducting a risk evaluation that 
indicates that Nayarit is free of this disease. We are also proposing 
to add Nayarit to the list of CSF-affected regions whose exports of 
live swine, pork, and pork products to the United States must meet 
certain certification requirements to ensure their freedom from CSF. 
These actions would relieve certain CSF-related restrictions on the 
importation into the United States of pork, pork products, live swine, 
and swine semen from Nayarit while continuing to protect against the 
introduction of this disease into the United States.

DATES: We will consider all comments that we receive on or before April 
2, 2007.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments by either of the following methods:
     Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to http://www.regulations.gov, select ``Animal and Plant Health Inspection 
Service'' from the agency drop-down menu, then click ``Submit.'' In the 
Docket ID column, select APHIS-2006-0104 to submit or view public 
comments and to view supporting and related materials available 
electronically. Information on using Regulations.gov, including 
instructions for accessing documents, submitting comments, and viewing 
the docket after the close of the comment period, is available through 
the site's ``User Tips'' link.
     Postal Mail/Commercial Delivery: Please send four copies 
of your comment (an original and three copies) to Docket No. APHIS-
2006-0104, Regulatory Analysis and Development, PPD, APHIS, Station 3A-
03.8, 4700 River Road Unit 118, Riverdale, MD 20737-1238. Please state 
that your comment refers to Docket No. APHIS-2006-0104.
    Reading Room: 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.
    Other Information: Additional information about APHIS and its 
programs is available on the Internet at http://www.aphis.usda.gov.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dr. Chip Wells, Senior Staff 
Veterinarian, Regionalization Evaluation Services-Import, National 
Center for Import and Export, 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 into the United States of specified 
animals and animal products in order to prevent the introduction of 
various animal diseases, including rinderpest, foot-and-mouth disease, 
African swine fever, classical swine fever (CSF), and swine vesicular 
disease. These are dangerous and destructive communicable diseases of 
ruminants and swine. Section 94.9 of the regulations restricts the 
importation into the United States of pork and pork products from 
regions where CSF is known to exist. Section 94.10 of the regulations 
prohibits, with certain exceptions, the importation of swine that 
originate in or are shipped from or transit any region in which CSF is 
known to exist. Sections 94.9 and 94.10 provide that CSF exists in all 
regions of the world except for certain regions listed in those 
sections.
    The Government of Mexico and the Mexican State of Nayarit requested 
that the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) evaluate 
the animal disease status of the State of Nayarit with respect to CSF 
and provided information in support of that request in accordance with 
9 CFR part 92, ``Importation of Animals and Animal Products: Procedures 
for Requesting Recognition of Regions.'' Using information submitted to 
us by the Federal Government of Mexico and State Government of Nayarit, 
as well as information gathered during a site visit by APHIS staff to 
Nayarit, we have reviewed and analyzed the animal health status of 
Nayarit with respect to CSF. Our determinations concerning this 
request, based on the information submitted to us and the information 
we gathered, are set forth below.

Risk Analysis

    APHIS conducted a risk analysis to examine the risk of introducing 
CSF \1\ from the importation of swine and swine products from Nayarit, 
Mexico. These findings are described in further detail in an April 2006 
risk analysis that may be viewed on the Regulations.gov Web site or in 
our reading room. (Instructions for accessing Regulations.gov and 
information on the location and hours of the reading room are provided 
under the heading ADDRESSES at the beginning of this proposed rule.) We 
summarize our findings for each of the 11 factors in 9 CFR 92.2 below 
and summarize our risk considerations of these findings following our 
discussions of the factors.
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    \1\ APHIS considers all of Mexico to be affected by blue-eye 
disease of pigs, a disease which is not known to exist in the United 
States. APHIS has not evaluated Mexico, including the State of 
Nayarit, for blue-eye disease. As a result, APHIS denies permits for 
the importation of live swine and swine semen from all of Mexico, 
including Nayarit (9 CFR 93.504(a)(3)). CSF is the disease hazard 
evaluated in the risk analysis, which does not address blue-eye 
disease.
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Authority, Organization, and Veterinary Infrastructure

    Nayarit has the legal authority to enforce Federal and State CSF 
regulations and the necessary veterinary infrastructure to carry out 
CSF surveillance and control activities. One

[[Page 4464]]

of the strengths observed by the joint APHIS/Canadian Food Inspection 
Agency (CFIA) site-visit team was the apparent good communication and 
cooperation existing among the Mexican Federal, State, and municipal 
government officials, the Animal Agriculture Promotion and Protection 
Committee (CFPP) representatives, and swine producers. APHIS could not 
identify any risk issues associated with this factor that would pose an 
unacceptable risk to the United States if trade with Nayarit in swine, 
pork, and pork products were to occur.

Disease Status

    The State of Nayarit has not reported a clinical case of CSF since 
1989 and was declared free of CSF by the Government of Mexico in May 
1999. This 15-year time period exceeds that recommended by the World 
Organization for Animal Health for the disease-free period required for 
CSF disease freedom recognition. Wild boar are not known to exist in 
Nayarit, and therefore, are not considered by APHIS to be a risk for 
introduction or spread of CSF virus in the State. APHIS also concluded 
that the CSF surveillance program, which is discussed in more detail in 
the risk analysis, would likely detect a change in the disease status 
of Nayarit (i.e. introduction of CSF). APHIS could not identify any 
risks associated with this factor that would pose any unacceptable risk 
to the United States if trade with Nayarit in swine, pork, and pork 
products were to occur.

Disease Status of Adjacent Regions

    Nayarit shares borders with the States of Durango, Jalisco, 
Sinaloa, and Zacatecas. Sinaloa and Durango were declared to be CSF-
free by the Mexican Government in 1993 and 1999, respectively. 
Zacatecas and Jalisco were declared to be in the eradication phase by 
the Mexican Government in 2004. On July 18, 2006 (after the risk 
analysis for this proposal was drafted), the Government of Mexico 
declared the States of Jalisco and Zacatecas to be CSF-free. Although 
APHIS considers Sinaloa to be CSF-free, APHIS has not evaluated 
Durango, Zacatecas, or Jalisco, and therefore currently considers them 
to be CSF-affected.
    The existence of common land borders with CSF-affected regions does 
present a risk for reintroducing CSF into Nayarit. However, movement 
controls and certification requirements regarding region of origin and 
commingling concerns are designed to mitigate this risk. Because 
Nayarit has common land borders with CSF-affected regions, we would add 
the State to the list in Sec.  94.25 of regions considered free of CSF, 
but to which additional CSF-related certification requirements apply. 
The specific requirements are explained later in this document under 
the heading ``Certification Requirements.''

Extent of Active Disease Control Program

    CSF is considered exotic to Nayarit; therefore, it does not have an 
active disease control program. However, the Mexican Government has an 
ongoing active CSF disease control program which includes surveillance, 
movement control, and emergency response provisions for the CSF-free 
States such as Nayarit. The APHIS site visit team concluded that 
Nayarit is in compliance with provisions of the program and has 
maintained its CSF-free designation since 1999.

Vaccination

    Vaccination for CSF ceased in Nayarit in March 1996, just before 
its status changed from control to eradication phase. Since that date, 
CSF vaccination has been prohibited in Nayarit.

Separation From Adjacent Regions of Higher Risk

    The State of Nayarit is located along the Pacific coastline of 
central Mexico. Nayarit borders the States of Sinaloa and Durango on 
the north, Zacatecas to the east, and Jalisco on the east and south. 
Natural barriers to disease transmission include the Pacific Ocean to 
the west and the Sierra Madre Occidental Mountains to the east.
    Surface transport into and out of Nayarit primarily move along a 
north-south corridor from Sinaloa in the north and Jalisco in the 
south. There are no major seaports on the Nayarit coast and commercial 
air traffic is light, limited to regional passenger service and private 
aircraft.
    APHIS has determined that the natural barriers of the mountains and 
ocean, and the few highways into Nayarit, limit the movement of swine 
and products into the State, thus reducing the risk of CSF 
introduction.

Movement Controls

    The movement controls established by the Mexican National CSF 
Campaign and implemented and enforced by the Nayarit officials limit 
the illegal movement of swine or pork products from CSF affected zones. 
The system of inspection posts in Nayarit was cited by the APHIS site 
visit team as a strong point in the State's CSF control program. The 
system of inspection posts ensures reasonable enforcement of these 
provisions, significantly limiting the risk of CSF introduction into 
Nayarit. These findings are described in further detail in the risk 
analysis.

Livestock Demographics and Marketing Practices

    Nayarit is not a major swine production area. In 2004, there were 
34 commercial swine farms in Nayarit, with a population of 30,634 
animals. Only 2 farms had over 4,000 hogs. Another 18,650 hogs are 
reared in backyards, intended for personal consumption by their owners. 
The slaughtering and processing of swine in Nayarit is currently 
handled by State-inspected municipal plants, since there are no 
federally inspected (in Spanish, Tipo Inspecci[oacute]n Federal, or 
TIF) plants handling swine in Nayarit; slaughter and processing through 
a TIF plant would be necessary for pork to be exported to the United 
States as well as to CSF-free States in Mexico.
    Currently, Nayarit consumes more pork than it produces and does not 
have the infrastructure, such as TIF plants, necessary to meet the 
export requirements of Sec.  94.25 for exportation of pork or pork 
products to the United States. This dynamic limits the legal movement 
of swine and pork from Nayarit to the United States. Should producers 
in Nayarit develop a desire to export, they would need to identify an 
appropriate TIF plant outside of the State or request that a plant 
within the State be certified as a TIF plant in accordance with the 
regulatory requirements of the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food 
Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS).

Disease Surveillance

    An active CSF surveillance program is conducted in Nayarit in 
accordance with the National CSF Campaign. Nayarit conducts an annual 
serological sampling survey in commercial and backyard swine herds. 
APHIS concludes that the surveillance program is sufficient to detect 
the presence of CSF virus if it were to be introduced into Nayarit.

Diagnostic Laboratory Capabilities

    The State of Nayarit does not have a diagnostic laboratory 
accredited for CSF diagnosis. All samples deemed suspicious for CSF are 
sent to the National Veterinary Services Diagnostic Laboratory 
(CENASA), located in the State of Mexico. This laboratory has been 
previously evaluated in other risk analyses and was not reevaluated 
during the site visit to Nayarit. Based on these prior assessments, 
APHIS has confidence that CENASA would be able

[[Page 4465]]

to detect CSF in samples submitted for serological testing.
    Considering the relatively small swine population in Nayarit, this 
arrangement is satisfactory for CSF diagnosis and surveillance needs. 
However, if the swine population in the State increases significantly, 
this factor may need to be reassessed.

Emergency Response Capacity

    Mexico has an established national system for surveillance and 
reporting of exotic animal diseases operated by their Ministry of 
Agriculture, Livestock Production, Rural Development, Fishery, and Food 
(SAGARPA) in collaboration with the Mexico-United States Commission for 
the Prevention of Foot and Mouth Disease and Other Exotic Animal 
Diseases. As a disease-free State, CSF virus is considered to be exotic 
in Nayarit.
    Whenever CSF is suspected, SAGARPA must immediately be notified and 
a precautionary quarantine is implemented in the focal and perifocal 
area to include the affected, exposed, and at-risk premises. If CSF is 
confirmed by CENASA, then the quarantine becomes definitive. Movement 
controls are implemented, sick animals are killed, dead animals are 
sanitarily disposed of, and an epidemiological investigation ensues.
    A close association and cooperation was observed between the 
Mexican Federal, State, and municipal government officials, the CFPP 
staff, and swine producers. This cooperation was especially effective 
in the operation of Nayarit's existing animal health checkpoints. 
Although no CSF suspect cases have been reported in Nayarit in recent 
years, these officials demonstrated knowledge of processes required 
under the National CSF Emergency Plan. These observations give APHIS 
confidence that an effective veterinary infrastructure exists in 
Nayarit capable of responding to a CSF outbreak. APHIS was unable to 
identify specific limitations in this system that would pose a risk to 
the United States.
    These findings are described in further detail in a qualitative 
evaluation that may be obtained from the person listed under FOR 
FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT and may be viewed on the Internet at http://www.regulations.gov. (Instructions for accessing Regulations.gov are 
provided under the heading ADDRESSES at the beginning of this proposed 
rule.) The evaluation documents the factors that have led us to 
conclude that Nayarit is free of CSF. Therefore, we are proposing to 
recognize the Mexican State of Nayarit as free of CSF and to add it to 
the lists in Sec. Sec.  94.9 and 94.10 of regions where CSF is not 
known to exist.

Certification Requirements

    As previously noted, we are proposing to amend Sec.  94.25 by 
adding the State of Nayarit to the list of regions in Sec.  94.25, 
which, among other things, applies restrictions on the importation of 
live swine, pork, or pork products from certain regions that are listed 
as free of CSF in Sec. Sec.  94.9(a) and 94.10(a).
    A CSF-free region may be added to the list in Sec.  94.25(a) when 
it supplements its pork supplies with fresh (chilled or frozen) pork 
imported from regions considered to be affected by CSF, or supplements 
its pork supplies with pork from CSF-affected regions that is not 
processed in accordance with the requirements of 9 CFR part 94, or has 
a common land border with a CSF-affected region, or imports live swine 
from CSF-affected regions under conditions less restrictive than would 
be acceptable for importation into the United States. As previously 
noted, Nayarit shares land borders with Durango, Zacatecas, and 
Jalisco, which are States we have not evaluated for CSF and thus are 
considered by APHIS to be CSF-affected. Thus, even though we are 
proposing to declare Nayarit free of CSF, there is a risk that live 
swine, pork, or pork products originating in Nayarit may be commingled 
with live swine, pork, or pork products from CSF-affected regions, 
resulting in a risk of CSF introduction into the United States.
    Adding Nayarit to the list of regions in Sec.  94.25(a) would mean 
that live swine, pork, or pork products and shipstores, airplane meals, 
and baggage containing pork or pork products, other than those articles 
regulated under parts 95 or 96 of this chapter, may not be imported 
into the United States unless the requirements described below were 
met. For all swine, pork, and pork products, each shipment would have 
to be accompanied by a certification issued by a full-time salaried 
veterinary officer of the Government of Mexico that would have to be 
presented to an authorized inspector at the port of arrival in the 
United States. Pursuant to Sec.  94.25(b), the certification for live 
swine would have to state that:
     The swine have not lived in any region where CSF is 
considered to exist;
     The swine have not been in contact with swine that have 
been in a region where CSF is considered to exist;
     The swine have not transited through a region where CSF is 
considered to exist unless moved directly through the region in a 
sealed means of conveyance with the seal intact upon arrival at the 
point of destination; and
     The conveyances or materials used in transporting the 
swine, if previously used for transporting swine, have been cleaned and 
disinfected in accordance with the requirements of 9 CFR 93.502.
    Pursuant to Sec.  94.25(c), the certification accompanying pork or 
pork products would have to state that:
     The pork or pork products are derived from swine that were 
born and raised in a CSF-free region and were slaughtered in such a 
region at a federally inspected slaughter plant that is under the 
direct supervision of a full-time salaried veterinarian of the national 
government of that region and that is eligible to have its products 
imported into the United States under the Federal Meat Inspection Act 
(21 U.S.C. 601 et seq.) and the FSIS regulations in 9 CFR 327.2;
     The pork or pork products were derived from swine that 
have not lived in any region where CSF is considered to exist;
     The pork or pork products have never been commingled with 
pork or pork products from any region where CSF is considered to exist;
     The pork or pork products have not transited through a 
region where CSF is considered to exist unless moved directly through 
the region in a sealed means of conveyance with the seal intact upon 
arrival at the point of destination; and
     If processed, the pork or pork products were processed in 
a CSF-free region in a federally inspected processing plant that is 
under the direct supervision of a full-time salaried veterinarian of 
the Government of Mexico.
    As mentioned above, the State of Nayarit currently does not have 
any federally inspected (TIF) slaughtering or processing plants. 
Accordingly, no pork or pork products could be exported from Nayarit 
until this and all other requirements of Sec.  94.25 have been met.

Executive Order 12866 and Regulatory Flexibility Act

    This proposed rule has been reviewed under Executive Order 12866. 
For this action, the Office of Management and Budget has waived its 
review under Executive Order 12866.
    This proposed rule would amend the regulations for importing 
animals and animal products by adding the Mexican State of Nayarit to 
the list of regions considered free of CSF. We are proposing this 
action at the request of the Mexican Government and the State of 
Nayarit and after conducting a risk evaluation that indicates that 
Nayarit is

[[Page 4466]]

free of this disease. We are also proposing to add Nayarit to a list of 
CSF-affected regions whose exports of live swine, pork, and pork 
products to the United States must meet certain certification 
requirements to ensure their freedom from CSF. These actions would 
relieve certain CSF-related restrictions on the importation into the 
United States of pork, pork products, live swine, and swine semen from 
Nayarit while continuing to protect against the introduction of this 
disease into the United States.
    This proposed rule is likely to have a minimal effect on U.S. live 
swine markets, both in the short term and in the medium term. Hog 
inventory of the State covered by this rulemaking amounted to about 
four-tenths of 1 percent of U.S. hog and pig inventory in 2004.\2\ In 
2004, there were 34 commercial swine farms in Nayarit with a population 
of 30,634 hogs and pigs. Another 18,650 hogs and pigs were reared in 
backyards, intended for consumption by the owners (table 1). Nayarit 
has never exported swine to the United States. This State--as is the 
case with Mexico as a whole--is a net importer of swine (table 2).
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    \2\ APHIS Risk Analysis on Importation of Classical Swine Fever 
(CSF) Virus from Nayarit, Mexico; Regional Evaluation Services, 
National Center for Import and Export, VS, APHIS, USDA; and USDA, 
FAS, GAIN Report  MX6010, Mexico, Livestock and Products, 
Semiannual Report 2006.
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    In 2004, the State of Nayarit produced around 4,000 metric tons of 
pork, an amount equal to 0.35 percent of Mexico's production of pork 
(table 3). Slaughter/processing plants handling swine in Nayarit are 
not TIF establishments. Only TIF plants are allowed to ship pork and 
pork products abroad or to CSF-free States in Mexico.

                     Table 1.--Live Hogs in Nayarit, 2000-2004, and Mexico as a Whole, 2004
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                              Hogs in        Hogs in backyard
                        Nayarit                           commercial farms      operations          All hogs
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2000...................................................            10,809             30,006             40,815
2001...................................................            36,799             29,587             66,386
2002...................................................            34,279             30,890             65,169
2003...................................................            36,665             25,010             61,675
2004...................................................            30,634             18,650             49,284
                                                        ====================
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Source: SAGARPA; APHIS Risk Analysis on Importation of Classical Swine Fever (CSF) Virus from Nayarit, Mexico;
  Regional Evaluation Services, National Center for Import and Export, VS, APHIS, USDA; and Regionalization
  Evaluation Services (http://www.aphis.usda.gov/vs/ncie/reg-request.html), April 2006.

    This rulemaking is also unlikely to have a significant effect on 
U.S. pork and pork products markets because, as with live swine, the 
United States is unlikely to import large amounts of these commodities 
from Nayarit. The United States is a net exporter of pork, while 
Mexico, as indicated below in tables 2 and 3, is a net importer. In 
2004, Mexico exported 36,000 metric tons of pork, averaging only around 
3.2 percent of total Mexican pork production.

                  Table 2.--U.S. and Mexican Trade With the World of Live Swine and Pork, 2004
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                  Commodity                        Exports         Imports          Net trade with the world
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Live swine (head):
    Mexican swine............................               0         189,867  189,867 (net imports) *.
    U.S. swine...............................         174,010       8,505,518  8,331,508 (net imports).
Pork (metric tons):
    Mexican pork.............................          36,476          86,102  49,626 (net imports).
    U.S. pork................................         747,357         469,442  277,916 (net exports).
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
*Net Imports = Imports minus exports; Net Exports = Exports minus imports
Source: USDA, FAS, UN Trade Statistics, 6-digit data.


                          Table 3.--Swine Production (Head) and Pork Production (Metric Tons) in United States and Mexico, 2004
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                   United States                                          Mexico                                           Nayarit, MX
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
          Swine                     Pork                      Swine                     Pork                     Swine                     Pork
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
          60,000,000                 9,302,759                15,350,000                 1,150,000                    49,000                   4,080
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Source: USDA, FAS, GAIN Report  MX6010, Mexico, Livestock and Products, Semiannual Report 2006.


[[Page 4467]]

Economic Impact on Small Entities

    The Regulatory Flexibility Act requires that agencies consider the 
economic impact of their rules on small entities. The domestic entities 
most likely to be affected by our proposal to declare the Mexican State 
of Nayarit free of CSF are pork producers.
    According to the 2002 Agricultural Census, there were about 66,036 
hog and pig farms in the United States in that year, of which 93 
percent received $750,000 or less in annual revenues. Agricultural 
operations with $750,000 or less in annual receipts are considered 
small entities, according to the Small Business Administration (SBA) 
size criteria.
    We do not expect that U.S. hog producers, U.S. exporters of live 
hogs, or U.S. exporters of pork and pork products, small or otherwise, 
would be affected significantly by this proposed rule. This is because, 
for the reasons discussed above, the amount of live swine, pork, and 
other pork products imported into the United States from the Mexican 
State of Nayarit is likely to be small.
    Under these circumstances, the Administrator of the Animal and 
Plant Health Inspection Service has determined that this action would 
not have a significant economic impact on a substantial number of small 
entities.

Executive Order 12988

    This proposed rule has been reviewed under Executive Order 12988, 
Civil Justice Reform. If this proposed rule is adopted: (1) All State 
and local laws and regulations that are inconsistent with this rule 
will be preempted; (2) no retroactive effect will be given to this 
rule; and (3) administrative proceedings will not be required before 
parties may file suit in court challenging this rule.

National Environmental Policy Act

    To provide the public with documentation of APHIS' review and 
analysis of any potential environmental impacts associated with our 
proposal to list the Mexican State of Nayarit as free of CSF, we have 
prepared an environmental assessment. The environmental assessment was 
prepared in accordance with: (1) The National Environmental Policy Act 
of 1969 (NEPA), as amended (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 (7 CFR part 1b), and (4) APHIS' NEPA Implementing 
Procedures (7 CFR part 372).
    The environmental assessment may be viewed on the Regulations.gov 
Web site or in our reading room. (Instructions for accessing 
Regulations.gov and information on the location and hours of the 
reading room are provided under the heading ADDRESSES at the beginning 
of this proposed rule.) In addition, copies may be obtained by calling 
or writing to the individual listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION 
CONTACT.

Paperwork Reduction Act

    This proposed 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 propose to amend 9 CFR part 94 as follows:

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

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

    Authority: 7 U.S.C. 450, 7701-7772, 7781-7786, and 8301-8317; 21 
U.S.C. 136 and 136a; 31 U.S.C. 9701; 7 CFR 2.22, 2.80, and 371.4.


Sec.  94.9  [Amended]

    2. In Sec.  94.9, paragraph (a) would be amended by adding the word 
``Nayarit,'' after the word ``Chihuahua,''.


Sec.  94.10  [Amended]

    3. In Sec.  94.10, paragraph (a) would be amended by adding the 
word ``Nayarit,'' after the word ``Chihuahua,''.


Sec.  94.25  [Amended]

    4. In Sec.  94.25, paragraph (a) would be amended by adding the 
word ``Nayarit,'' after the word ``Chihuahua,''.

    Done in Washington, DC this 25th day of January 2007.
Kevin Shea,
Acting Administrator, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.
 [FR Doc. E7-1530 Filed 1-30-07; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-34-P