[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 168 (Monday, August 31, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 52440-52441]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-21497]


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 Notices
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  Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 168 / Monday, August 31, 2015 / 
Notices  

[[Page 52440]]



DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service

[Docket No. APHIS-2015-0011]


Recognizing European Union (EU) and EU Member State 
Regionalization Decisions for African Swine Fever (ASF) by Updating the 
APHIS List of Regions Affected with ASF

AGENCY: Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice and request for comments.

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SUMMARY: We are advising the public that we are adding European Union 
(EU) and EU Member State-defined regions of the EU to the Animal and 
Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) list of regions affected with 
African swine fever (ASF). We will recognize as affected with ASF any 
region of the EU that the EU or any EU Member State has placed under 
restriction because of detection of ASF. These regions currently 
include portions of Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and Poland, and all of 
Sardinia. APHIS will list the EU- and EU Member State-defined regions 
as a single entity. We are therefore removing Sardinia as an 
individually listed region from the APHIS list of ASF affected regions. 
We are taking this action because of the detection of ASF in Estonia, 
Latvia, Lithuania, and Poland.

DATES: Effective Date: The addition of the EU- and EU Member State-
defined regions to the APHIS list of regions affected with ASF is 
effective August 31, 2015. We will consider all comments that we 
receive on or before October 30, 2015.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments by either of the following methods:
     Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to http://www.regulations.gov/#!docketDetail;D=APHIS-2015-0011.
     Postal Mail/Commercial Delivery: Send your comment to 
Docket No. APHIS-2015-0011, Regulatory Analysis and Development, PPD, 
APHIS, Station 3A-03.8, 4700 River Road Unit 118, Riverdale, MD 20737-
1238.
    Any comments we receive may be viewed at http://www.regulations.gov/#!docketDetail;D=APHIS-2015-0011 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: Mr. Donald Link, Import Risk Analyst, 
Regionalization Evaluation Services, National Import Export Services, 
Veterinary Services, APHIS, 920 Main Campus Drive, Suite 200, Raleigh, 
NC 27606; (919) 855-7731; [email protected].

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 to prevent the introduction 
of various animal diseases, including rinderpest, foot-and-mouth 
disease (FMD), bovine spongiform encephalopathy, swine vesicular 
disease (SVD), classical swine fever (CSF), and African swine fever 
(ASF). The regulations prohibit or restrict the importation of live 
ruminants and swine, and products from these animals, from regions 
where these diseases are considered to exist.
    Sections 94.8 and 94.17 of part 94 of the regulations contain 
requirements governing the importation into the United States of pork 
and pork products from regions of the world where ASF exists or is 
reasonably believed to exist. A list of regions where ASF exists or is 
reasonably believed to exist is maintained on the Animal and Plant 
Health Inspection Service (APHIS) Web site at http://www.aphis.usda.gov/import_export/animals/animals_disease_status.shtml.
    Currently, the Islands of Sardinia and Malta are the only regions 
of the European Union (EU) that APHIS lists as affected with ASF. 
However, ASF outbreaks have recently occurred in domestic and feral 
swine in portions of Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and Poland. The EU has 
determined that the ASF virus was introduced into these regions from 
neighboring countries where ASF is present in both the feral and 
domestic swine populations. The EU has imposed restrictions on the 
movement of swine and swine products from the regions in which ASF was 
detected and surrounding regions in the EU. The restrictions and the 
regions subject to restriction by the EU are listed in the European 
Commission's Implementing Decision 2014/709/EU.\1\
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    \1\ The European Commission is the EU institution responsible 
for representing the EU as a whole. It proposes legislation, 
policies, and programs of action and implements decisions of the EU 
Parliament and Council. Commission Implementing Decision 2014/709/EU 
is available online at http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:32014D0709.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    In response to the outbreaks of ASF in Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, 
and Poland, APHIS is modifying its list of ASF-affected regions. First, 
we are adding a new entry that would read ``Any restricted zone in the 
European Union (EU) established by the EU or any EU Member State 
because of detection of African swine fever in domestic or feral 
swine.'' Second, we are removing Sardinia as an individually listed 
region. With the addition of this entry to the APHIS list of ASF-
affected regions, the APHIS-recognized ASF status of almost any region 
of the EU would follow the EU and EU Member State restrictions based on 
ASF detections. Going forward, we would not list each affected region 
of the EU. We will continue to list Malta individually, which we 
currently recognize as affected with ASF, but which is not under ASF 
restrictions by the EU. We are currently evaluating the ASF status of 
Malta at the request of the EU. If we determine based on our evaluation 
that the ASF status of Malta should be changed, we will publish our 
findings and the evaluation for public comment. Adding this entry to 
the list would subject swine and swine products from EU-restricted 
regions to APHIS import restrictions designed to mitigate risk of ASF 
introduction into the United States.
    APHIS has previously evaluated the animal health infrastructure, 
veterinary oversight and legislation, and disease control programs of 
the EU and individual EU Member States for multiple livestock and 
poultry species and diseases. Previous APHIS evaluations assessed EU-
wide animal health measures and the ability of a

[[Page 52441]]

Member State to effectively transpose EU animal health regulations into 
its own veterinary infrastructure and livestock and/or poultry disease 
control programs. All of the evaluations were conducted in accordance 
with 9 CFR 92.2, which sets forth the requirements for requesting the 
recognition of the animal health status of a region as well as for the 
approval of the export of a particular type of animal or animal product 
to the United States from a foreign region. Most of the evaluations 
included a site visit. Through these evaluations, APHIS has analyzed 
veterinary oversight and animal health infrastructure at both the EU 
level and the individual Member State level, as well as disease history 
and vaccination practices for multiple diseases, livestock demographics 
and traceability practices for multiple species, epidemiologic 
separation from potential sources of infection, and surveillance 
programs, diagnostic laboratory capabilities, and emergency 
preparedness and response capabilities for multiple livestock and 
poultry diseases.
    Overall, APHIS has consistently concluded that the animal health 
infrastructure, veterinary oversight and legislation, and corresponding 
disease control programs are adequate at the EU level. While APHIS 
evaluations did find unique strengths and weaknesses in individual 
Member States, overall the findings of these evaluations have been 
favorable for the Member States. After assessing Member State animal 
health infrastructure, veterinary oversight and legislation, and 
disease control programs, and the Member States' ability to transpose 
and implement EU-level animal health controls, APHIS has taken 
liberalizing trade action for the EU and certain Member States. APHIS 
has recognized some Member States as free from FMD, rinderpest, SVD, 
and/or ASF; evaluated the EU and individual Member States for Newcastle 
disease and highly pathogenic avian influenza, resulting in APHIS 
establishing the APHIS-defined EU Poultry Trade Region; and evaluated 
the EU and individual Member States and other European countries for 
CSF, resulting in APHIS establishing the APHIS-defined European CSF 
region.
    APHIS recognizing EU and EU Member State regionalization decisions 
for ASF in the EU is similar to APHIS recognition of EU and Member 
State regionalization decisions for Newcastle disease and highly 
pathogenic avian influenza in the EU, and for CSF in the EU and other 
European countries, and is supported by previous APHIS evaluations of 
EU Member States for these and other livestock and poultry diseases as 
described above. In the event that the EU or an EU Member State 
significantly changes or entirely removes its ASF restrictions or 
otherwise significantly alters its regulatory framework for ASF, APHIS 
will conduct an evaluation to assess the impact of the changes on the 
risk of ASF introduction into the United States. APHIS will present for 
public comment the findings of any such evaluation.
    Because the EU- and EU Member State-defined ASF-affected regions 
includes areas not currently on the APHIS list of ASF-affected regions, 
we are adding the new entry to our list immediately to prevent the 
introduction of ASF into the United States. We will consider comments 
we receive during the comment period for this notice (see DATES above). 
After the comment period closes, we will publish another notice in the 
Federal Register. The notice will include a discussion of any comments 
we receive and any changes we are making in response to the comments.

    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 26th day of August 2015.
Michael C. Gregoire,
Acting Administrator, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.
[FR Doc. 2015-21497 Filed 8-28-15; 8:45 am]
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