[Federal Register Volume 73, Number 60 (Thursday, March 27, 2008)]
[Notices]
[Pages 16245-16246]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E8-6241]


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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. 60 / Thursday, March 27, 2008 / 
Notices  

[[Page 16245]]



DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service

[Docket No: APHIS-2008-0012]


Notice of Availability of Assessments of the Highly Pathogenic 
Avian Influenza Subtype H5N1 Status of Denmark and France

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 the Animal and Plant Health 
Inspection Service has prepared assessments of the animal health status 
of Denmark and France relative to the H5N1 subtype of highly pathogenic 
avian influenza (HPAI), following single outbreaks of HPAI subtype H5N1 
in domestic poultry in each of those countries. The assessments present 
our evaluation of the HPAI H5N1 detection, control, and eradication 
measures in place in Denmark and France at the time of the outbreaks 
and of the actions taken by each country in response to the outbreaks, 
as well as our assessment of the present status of each country with 
respect to HPAI subtype H5N1. We are making these risk assessments 
available to the public for review and comment.

DATES: We will consider all comments we receive prior to April 28, 
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-2008-0012 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-2008-0012, 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-2008-0012.
    Reading Room: You may read any comments that we receive on the 
assessments 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. Julia Punderson, Regionalization 
Evaluation Services-Import, Sanitary Trade Issues Team, National Center 
for Import and Export, VS, APHIS, 4700 River Road Unit 38, Riverdale, 
MD 20737-1231, 301-734-4356.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

    Under the Animal Health Protection Act (7 U.S.C. 8301 et seq.), the 
Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) has the authority to 
prohibit or restrict the importation into the United States of animals, 
animal products, and other articles in order to prevent the 
introduction of diseases and pests into the U.S. livestock and poultry 
populations.
    Highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) is a zoonotic disease of 
poultry. The H5N1 subtype of HPAI is an extremely infectious and fatal 
form of the disease. HPAI can strike poultry quickly without any 
warning signs of infection and, once established, can spread rapidly 
from flock to flock. HPAI viruses can also be spread by manure, 
equipment, vehicles, egg flats, crates, and people whose clothing or 
shoes have come in contact with the virus. HPAI viruses can remain 
viable at moderate temperatures for long periods in the environment and 
can survive indefinitely in frozen material. The H5N1 subtype of HPAI 
has been of particular concern because it has crossed the species 
barrier and caused disease in humans.
    On February 25, 2006, France reported to the World Organization for 
Animal Health (OIE) an outbreak of HPAI H5N1 in a turkey breeding 
flock. On May 18, 2006, Denmark reported to the OIE an outbreak of HPAI 
H5N1 in a backyard poultry flock. To prevent the introduction of HPAI 
H5N1 into the United States, APHIS designated the affected regions in 
both Denmark and France as regions where HPAI was considered to exist, 
and prohibited the importation of birds, poultry, and poultry products 
from these regions into the United States.
    In the assessment titled ``APHIS Analysis of the Status of High 
Pathogenicity Avian Influenza H5N1 (HPAI H5N1) Virus in France'' 
(December 2007), we present the results of our evaluation of the 
prevalence of HPAI H5N1 in domestic poultry in France in light of the 
actions taken by French authorities since that outbreak, and document 
our analysis of the risk associated with allowing the importation of 
birds, poultry, and poultry products from France into the United States 
in the aftermath of the outbreak. The assessment titled ``APHIS 
Analysis of the Status of High Pathogenicity Avian Influenza H5N1 (HPAI 
H5N1) Virus in Denmark'' (December 2007) conducts a similar examination 
and analysis with respect to the situation in Denmark. We conducted 
each evaluation based on documentation supplied to APHIS by animal 
health authorities within the respective countries, existing European 
Union legislation, final reports each country submitted to the OIE 
regarding the outbreaks, and information that the Danish and French 
animal health authorities posted on their Web sites.
    We based our evaluation of each country's HPAI H5N1 status on the 
following critical factors:
     Each country has been free of outbreaks of the H5N1 
subtype in its domestic poultry for at least 3 months, as a result of 
effective control measures taken by a competent veterinary 
infrastructure;
     HPAI H5N1 was a notifiable disease in each country at the 
time of the outbreak;
     Each country had an ongoing disease awareness program in 
place at the time of the outbreak;
     Each country investigated notified or suspected 
occurrences of the disease;

[[Page 16246]]

     Each country had an effective surveillance program in 
place that supported the detection and investigation of outbreaks;
     Diagnostic and laboratory capabilities within each country 
were both adequate and effective;
     Each country undertook appropriate eradication and control 
measures and movement restrictions in response to the outbreaks to 
prevent further spread of the disease; and
     In each country, procedures used for repopulation of 
affected premises included monitoring to demonstrate that HPAI H5N1 had 
been eradicated from the premises.
    Based on these factors, which are consistent with the OIE's 
recommendations for reinstatement for trade with a country that has 
experienced an HPAI H5N1 outbreak,\1\ our assessment concludes that 
both France and Denmark had adequate detection and control measures in 
place at the time of the outbreak, that they have been able to 
effectively control and eradicate HPAI H5N1 in their domestic poultry 
populations since that time, and that both French and Danish animal 
health authorities have control measures in place to rapidly identify, 
control, and eradicate the disease should it be reintroduced into 
France or Denmark in either wild birds or domestic poultry.
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    \1\ OIE (2006). Risk Analysis. In Terrestrial Animal Health 
Code, 14th edition. Paris, World Organization for Animal Health: 
Section 2.7.12. To view the document on the Internet, go to http://www.oie.int/eng/normes/mcode/A_summry.htm?e1d11.
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    We are making these assessments available for public comment. We 
will consider all comments that we receive on or before the date listed 
under the heading DATES at the beginning of this notice.
    If, after the close of the comment period, APHIS can identify no 
additional risk factors that would indicate that domestic poultry in 
either France or Denmark continue to be affected with HPAI H5N1, we 
would conclude that the importation of live birds, poultry carcasses, 
parts or products of poultry carcasses, and eggs (other than hatching 
eggs) of poultry, game birds, or other birds from either France or 
Denmark presents a low risk of introducing HPAI H5N1 into the United 
States.
    The assessments 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 assessments by calling or writing to the 
person listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT. Please refer to 
the titles of the assessments when requesting copies.

    Done in Washington, DC, this 21st day of March 2008.
Kevin Shea,
Acting Administrator, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.
 [FR Doc. E8-6241 Filed 3-26-08; 8:45 am]
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