[Federal Register Volume 72, Number 49 (Wednesday, March 14, 2007)]
[Notices]
[Pages 11823-11824]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E7-4646]


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 Notices
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  Federal Register / Vol. 72, No. 49 / Wednesday, March 14, 2007 / 
Notices  

[[Page 11823]]



DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service

[Docket No. APHIS-2007-0009]


Notice of Request for Approval of an Information Collection; 
National Animal Identification System; Species Data by State

AGENCY: Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, USDA.

ACTION: New 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 initiate a new information collection activity for 
collection of species data by State as part of the National Animal 
Identification System.

DATES: We will consider all comments that we receive on or before May 
14, 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-2007-0009 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-
2007-0009, 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-2007-0009.
    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: For information on an information 
collection activity for collection of species data by State as part of 
the National Animal Identification System, contact Dr. John Wiemers, 
National Animal Identification Staff, VS, 2100 Lake Storey Road, 
Galesburg, IL 61401; (309) 344-1942. 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: National Animal Identification System; Species Data by 
State.
    OMB Number: 0579-XXXX.
    Type of Request: Approval of a new information collection.
    Abstract: As part of ongoing efforts to safeguard animal health, 
the U.S. Department of Agriculture initiated implementation of a 
National Animal Identification System (NAIS) in 2004. The NAIS is a 
cooperative State-Federal-industry program administered by USDA's 
Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS). The purpose of the 
NAIS is to provide a streamlined information system that will help 
producers and animal health officials respond quickly and effectively 
to animal disease events in the United States.
    The first component of the program, premises registration, is well 
underway and the second component, animal identification, is being 
implemented for several species. The third component, animal tracing, 
is currently under development with USDA's State and industry partners. 
Industry, through private systems, and States will manage the animal 
tracking databases that maintain the movement records of animals. These 
information systems will provide the location of a subject animal and 
the records of other animals that the subject animal came into contact 
with at each premises. Participation in any component of the program is 
voluntary.
    Premises registration, the foundation of NAIS, is critical to 
rapidly detecting and evaluating the scope of animal disease outbreaks, 
controlling emergency program budgets, and improving emergency response 
efficiency. Having the ability to plot locations within a radius of 
affected premises will help determine the potential magnitude of a 
disease event and the resources that are needed to adequately respond 
in an effective manner. This can be accomplished only if the affected 
premises and other premises in the area have been registered. All 50 
States, 60 Native American Tribes, and 2 territories are currently 
participating in premises registration. More than 350,000 premises have 
been registered to date.
    To encourage participation in premises registration, there is an 
emphasis, at the national level, on industry organizations (pork, beef, 
etc.) registering premises through cooperative agreements with APHIS. 
To track progress that will be made as a result of these efforts, APHIS 
needs reports of premises registered by species. APHIS needs assistance 
from each State to provide ``species at the premises'' statistics, 
since this information is stored only at the State level, rather than 
in the National Information Records Repository (NPRR).
    For States that use USDA's Standardized Premises Registration 
System, APHIS is able to generate a report of species information by 
State, but only with the written permission of each State animal health 
official. As indicated earlier, this is because the species data is 
kept only at the State level and not in the NPRR.
    APHIS is asking States that wish to gather this information 
themselves to include this information in the quarterly cooperative 
agreement progress reports they submit to APHIS.
    We are asking OMB to approve our use of these information 
collection activities for 3 years.
    The purpose of this notice is to solicit comments from the public 
(as well as

[[Page 11824]]

affected agencies) concerning our information collection. These 
comments will help us:
    (1) Evaluate whether the collection of information is necessary for 
the proper performance of the functions of the Agency, including 
whether the information will have practical utility;
    (2) Evaluate the accuracy of our estimate of the burden of the 
collection of information, 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 0.5 hours per response.
    Respondents: Governmental entities participating in the premises 
registration component of the NAIS for States, Tribes, and territories.
    Estimated annual number of respondents: 15.
    Estimated annual number of responses per respondent: 4.
    Estimated annual number of responses: 60.
    Estimated total annual burden on respondents: 30 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, on March 8, 2007.
Kevin Shea,
Acting Administrator, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.
 [FR Doc. E7-4646 Filed 3-13-07; 8:45 am]
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