[Federal Register Volume 73, Number 32 (Friday, February 15, 2008)]
[Notices]
[Pages 8844-8845]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E8-2912]


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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. 73, No. 32 / Friday, February 15, 2008 / 
Notices  

[[Page 8844]]



DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service

[Docket No. APHIS-2008-0001]


Notice of Availability of a Risk Analysis for the Foot-and-Mouth 
Disease Status of the Republic of South Africa

AGENCY: Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: We are advising the public that a risk analysis has been 
prepared by the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service concerning 
the foot-and-mouth disease status of the Republic of South Africa and 
the related disease risks associated with importing animals and animal 
products into the United States from the Republic of South Africa. This 
risk analysis will be used as a basis for determining whether to 
relieve certain prohibitions and restrictions on the importation of 
ruminants and swine and the fresh meat and other animal products of 
ruminants and swine into the United States from the Republic of South 
Africa. We are making this risk analysis available to the public for 
review and comment.

DATES: We will consider all comments we receive on or before April 15, 
2008.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments by either of the following methods:
     Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to http://www.regulations.gov/fdmspublic/component/main?main=DocketDetail&d=APHIS-2008-0001 to submit or view comments and 
to view supporting and related materials available electronically.
     Postal Mail/Commercial Delivery: Please send two copies of 
your comment to Docket No. APHIS-2008-0001, 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-2008-0001.
    Reading Room: You may read any comments that we receive on the risk 
analysis 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: Mr. Javier Vargas, Animal Scientist, 
Regionalization Evaluation Services Staff, National Center for Import 
and Export, VS, APHIS, 4700 River Road Unit 38, Riverdale, MD 20737-
1231; (301) 734-0756.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 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 and FMD. Section 94.11 lists regions of the world considered 
free of rinderpest and FMD but from which the importation of meat and 
other animal products into the United States is subject to additional 
restrictions because of those regions' proximity to or trading 
relationships with FMD-affected regions.
    In an interim rule effective November 6, 2000, and published in the 
Federal Register on February 9, 2001 (66 FR 9641-9643, Docket No. 00-
122-1), we amended the regulations by removing the Republic of South 
Africa from the list of regions considered to be free of rinderpest and 
FMD. We also removed the Republic of South Africa from the list of 
regions in Sec.  94.11 that are considered to be free of these 
diseases, but are subject to certain restrictions because of their 
proximity to or trading relationships with rinderpest- or FMD-affected 
regions. These actions were necessary because FMD had been confirmed in 
two provinces in the Republic of South Africa. The effect of the 
interim rule was to prohibit or restrict the importation of ruminants 
and swine and the fresh meat and other animal products of ruminants and 
swine into the United States from the Republic of South Africa.
    Although we removed the Republic of South Africa from the list of 
regions considered to be free of rinderpest and FMD, we recognized that 
the Republic of South Africa's National Department of Agriculture 
responded immediately to the detection of the disease by imposing 
restrictions on the movement of ruminants, swine, and ruminant and 
swine products from the affected areas and by initiating measures to 
eradicate the disease. We stated that we intended to reassess the 
situation in the region at a future date in accordance with Office 
International des Epizooties (OIE) standards. We solicited comments 
concerning our interim rule ending April 10, 2001; we received no 
comments by that date.
    In this notice, we are announcing the availability for review and 
comment of a document entitled ``Evaluation of the Foot-and-Mouth 
Disease Status of the Republic of South Africa'' (October 2007). This 
risk analysis assesses the FMD status of the Republic of South Africa 
and the related disease risks associated with importing animals and 
animal products into the United States from the Republic of South 
Africa. This risk analysis will be considered as part of our 
decisionmaking process regarding whether to relieve certain 
prohibitions and restrictions on the importation of ruminants and swine 
and the fresh meat and other animal products of ruminants and swine 
into the United States from the Republic of South Africa. The 
importation of live swine and certain swine products would continue to 
be restricted because the Republic of South Africa has not been 
evaluated by APHIS for African swine fever, classical swine fever, and 
swine vesicular disease. We are making the risk analysis available for 
public comment for 60 days.
    The risk analysis may be viewed on the Regulations.gov Web site or 
in our reading room (see ADDRESSES above for a link to Regulations.gov 
and information on the location and hours of the reading room). You may 
request paper copies of the risk analysis by

[[Page 8845]]

calling or writing to the person listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION 
CONTACT. Please refer to the title of the risk analysis when requesting 
copies.

    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.

    Done in Washington, DC, this 11th day of February 2008.
Kevin Shea,
Acting Administrator, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.
[FR Doc. E8-2912 Filed 2-14-08; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-34-P