[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 233 (Wednesday, December 4, 2013)]
[Notices]
[Pages 72859-72860]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-28338]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service

[Docket No. APHIS-2013-0064]


Concurrence With OIE Risk Designations for Bovine Spongiform 
Encephalopathy

AGENCY: Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: We are advising the public of our preliminary concurrence with 
the World Organization for Animal Health's (OIE) bovine spongiform 
encephalopathy (BSE) risk designations for 14 regions. The OIE 
recognizes these regions as being of either negligible risk for BSE or 
of controlled risk for BSE. We are taking this action based on our 
review of information supporting the OIE's risk designations for these 
regions.

DATES: We will consider all comments that we receive on or before 
February 3, 2014.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments by either of the following methods:
     Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to http://www.regulations.gov/#!documentDetail;D=APHIS-2013-0064-0001.
     Postal Mail/Commercial Delivery: Send your comment to 
Docket No. APHIS-2013-0064, Regulatory Analysis and Development, PPD, 
APHIS, Station 3A-03.8, 4700 River Road, Unit 118, Riverdale, MD 20737-
1238.
    Supporting documents and any comments we receive on this docket may 
be viewed at http://www.regulations.gov/#!docketDetail;D=APHIS-2013-
0064 or in our reading room, which 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) 799-7039 before coming.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dr. Silvia Kreindel, Senior Staff 
Veterinarian, Regionalization Evaluation Services, National Center for 
Import and Export, VS, APHIS, 4700 River Road, Unit 38, Riverdale, MD 
20737-1231; (301) 851-3300.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

    As amended by a final rule published in today's Federal Register 
(see ``Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy; Importation of Bovines and 
Bovine Products,'' Docket No. APHIS-2008-0010), the regulations in 9 
CFR part 92 subpart B, ``Importation of Animals and Animal Products; 
Procedures for Requesting BSE Risk Status Classification With Regard To 
Bovines'' (referred to below as the regulations), set forth the process 
by which the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) 
classifies regions for bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) risk. 
Section 92.5 of the regulations provides that all countries of the 
world are considered by APHIS to be in one of three BSE risk 
categories: Negligible risk, controlled risk, or undetermined risk. 
These risk categories are defined in Sec.  92.1. Any region that is not 
classified by APHIS as presenting either negligible risk or controlled 
risk for BSE is considered to present an undetermined risk. The list of 
those regions classified by APHIS as having either negligible risk or 
controlled risk can be accessed on the APHIS Web site at http://www.aphis.usda.gov/import_export/animals/animal_disease_status.shtml. The list can also be obtained by writing to APHIS at 
National Import Export Services, 4700 River Road Unit 38, Riverdale, MD 
20737.
    Under the regulations, APHIS may classify a region for BSE in one 
of two ways. One way is for countries that have not received a risk 
classification from the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) to 
request classification by APHIS. The other way is for APHIS to concur 
with the classification given to a country by the OIE.
    If the OIE has classified a country as either BSE negligible risk 
or BSE controlled risk, APHIS will seek information to support 
concurrence with the OIE classification. This information may be 
publicly available information, or APHIS may request that countries 
supply the same information given to the OIE. APHIS will announce in 
the Federal Register, subject to public comment, its intent to concur 
with an OIE classification.
    In accordance with this process, we are giving notice in this 
document that APHIS intends to concur with the OIE risk classifications 
of the following countries:
     Regions of negligible risk for BSE: Austria, Belgium, 
Brazil, Colombia, Israel, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, Singapore, 
Slovenia.
     Regions of controlled risk for BSE: Bulgaria, Costa Rica, 
Croatia, Nicaragua, Taiwan.
    The OIE recommendations regarding each of the above countries can 
be viewed at http://www.oie.int/animal-health-in-the-world/official-disease-status/bse/list-of-bse-risk-status/.
    The conclusions of the OIE scientific commission for these 
countries can be viewed at:
    Austria: http://www.oie.int/fileadmin/Home/eng/Internationa_Standard_Setting/docs/pdf/SCAD/A_SCAD_Feb2012.pdf (page 46).

[[Page 72860]]

    Belgium: http://www.oie.int/fileadmin/Home/eng/Internationa_Standard_Setting/docs/pdf/SCAD/A_SCAD_Feb2012.pdf (page 47).
    Brazil: http://www.oie.int/fileadmin/Home/eng/Internationa_Standard_Setting/docs/pdf/SCAD/A_SCAD_Feb2012.pdf (page 48).
    Bulgaria: http://www.oie.int/fileadmin/Home/eng/Internationa_Standard_Setting/docs/pdf/SCAD/A_SCAD_Feb2013.pdf (page 68).
    Colombia: http://www.oie.int/fileadmin/Home/eng/Internationa_Standard_Setting/docs/pdf/SCAD/A_SCAD_Feb2012.pdf (page 50).
    Costa Rica: http://www.oie.int/fileadmin/Home/eng/Internationa_Standard_Setting/docs/pdf/SCAD/A_SCAD_Feb2013.pdf (page 69).
    Croatia: http://www.oie.int/fileadmin/Home/eng/Internationa_Standard_Setting/docs/pdf/SCAD/A_SCAD_Feb2012.pdf (page 51).
    Israel: http://www.oie.int/fileadmin/Home/eng/Internationa_Standard_Setting/docs/pdf/SCAD/A_SCAD_Feb2013.pdf (page 71).
    Italy: http://www.oie.int/fileadmin/Home/eng/Internationa_Standard_Setting/docs/pdf/SCAD/A_SCAD_Feb2013.pdf (page 72).
    Japan: http://www.oie.int/fileadmin/Home/eng/Internationa_Standard_Setting/docs/pdf/SCAD/A_SCAD_Feb2013.pdf (page 73).
    Netherlands: http://www.oie.int/fileadmin/Home/eng/Internationa_Standard_Setting/docs/pdf/SCAD/A_SCAD_Feb2013.pdf (page 75).
    Nicaragua: http://www.oie.int/fileadmin/Home/eng/Internationa_Standard_Setting/docs/pdf/SCAD/A_SCAD_Feb2012.pdf (page 52).
    Singapore: http://www.oie.int/fileadmin/Home/eng/Internationa_Standard_Setting/docs/pdf/SCAD/A_SCAD_fev2007.pdf (page 30).
    Slovenia: http://www.oie.int/fileadmin/Home/eng/Internationa_Standard_Setting/docs/pdf/SCAD/A_SCAD_Feb2013.pdf (page 76).
    Taiwan: http://www.oie.int/fileadmin/Home/eng/Internationa_Standard_Setting/docs/pdf/SCAD/A_SCAD_fev2007.pdf (page 24--under 
Chinese Taipei).
    After reviewing any comments we receive, we will announce our final 
determination regarding the BSE classification of these countries in 
the Federal Register, along with a discussion of and response to 
pertinent issues raised by commenters. If APHIS recognizes a country as 
either negligible risk or controlled risk for BSE, the Agency will 
include that country in a list of regions of negligible risk or 
controlled risk for BSE, as applicable, that is available to the public 
on the Agency's Web site at http://www.aphis.usda.gov/import_export/animals/animal_disease_status.shtml.

    Authority: 7 U.S.C. 1622 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 20th day of November 2013.
Kevin Shea,
Administrator, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.
[FR Doc. 2013-28338 Filed 12-3-13; 8:45 am]
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