[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 93 (Friday, May 13, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Pages 29834-29836]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2016-11316]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service

[Docket No. APHIS-2015-0102]


Notice of Availability of an Evaluation of the Classical Swine 
Fever, Swine Vesicular Disease, African Swine Fever, Foot-and-Mouth 
Disease, and Rinderpest Status of Malta

AGENCY: Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice of availability.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: We are advising the public that we are proposing to recognize 
the Republic of Malta as being free of swine vesicular disease, African 
swine fever, foot-and-mouth disease, and rinderpest subject to 
conditions in the regulations governing the importation of certain 
animals and animal products into the United States. We are also 
proposing adding the Republic of Malta to the APHIS-defined European 
classical swine fever region that is subject to conditions described in 
the regulations. We are proposing these actions based on a risk 
evaluation we have prepared in connection with this action, which we 
are making available for review and comment.

DATES: We will consider all comments that we receive on or before July 
12, 2016.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments by either of the following methods:
     Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to http://www.regulations.gov/#!docketDetail;D=APHIS-2015-0102.
     Postal Mail/Commercial Delivery: Send your comment to 
Docket No. APHIS-2015-0102, 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-2015-
0102 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. Chip Wells, Senior Staff 
Veterinarian, Regionalization Evaluation Services, National Import 
Export Services, VS, APHIS, USDA, 4700 River Road Unit 38, Riverdale, 
MD 20737-1231; [email protected]; (301) 851-3317.

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 African swine fever (ASF), 
classical swine fever (CSF), foot-and-mouth disease (FMD), swine 
vesicular disease (SVD), and rinderpest.\1\ 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.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \1\ The World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) recognizes 
rinderpest as having been globally eradicated, and recommends that 
countries not impose any rinderpest-related conditions on import or 
transit of livestock and livestock products. In addition, the OIE 
recently delisted SVD as a disease of concern for international 
trade. However, APHIS continues to regulate for rinderpest and SVD 
through its import regulations for animals and animal products.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Within part 94, Sec.  94.1 contains requirements governing the 
importation of ruminants and swine from regions

[[Page 29835]]

where rinderpest or FMD exists and the importation of the meat of any 
ruminants or swine from regions where rinderpest or FMD exists to 
prevent the introduction of either disease into the United States. We 
consider rinderpest and FMD to exist in all regions except those listed 
in accordance with paragraph (a) of that section as free of rinderpest 
and FMD.
    Section 94.8 contains requirements governing the importation of 
pork and pork products from regions where ASF exists or is reasonably 
believed to exist.
    Section 94.9 contains requirements governing the importation of 
pork and pork products from regions where CSF exists. Section 94.10 
contains importation requirements for swine from regions where CSF is 
considered to exist and designates the Animal and Plant Health 
Inspection Service (APHIS)-defined European CSF region as a single 
region of low-risk for CSF. Section 94.31 contains requirements 
governing the importation of pork, pork products, and swine from the 
APHIS-defined European CSF region. We consider CSF to exist in all 
regions of the world except those listed in accordance with paragraph 
(a) of Sec.  94.9 \2\ as free of the disease.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \2\ The list of regions comprising the APHIS-defined European 
CSF region and the lists of regions considered free of FMD, ASF, 
SVD, and rinderpest are located on the APHIS Web site at: http://www.aphis.usda.gov/wps/portal/aphis/ourfocus/importexport?1dmy&urile=wcm%3apath%3a%2Faphis_content_library%2Fsa_our_focus%2Fsa_animal_health%2Fsa_import_into_us%2Fct_animal_disease_status.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Section 94.11 of the regulations contains requirements governing 
the importation of meat of any ruminants or swine from regions that 
have been determined to be free of rinderpest and FMD, but that are 
subject to certain restrictions because of their proximity to or 
trading relationships with rinderpest- or FMD-affected regions. Such 
regions are listed in accordance with paragraph (a) of that section.
    Section 94.12 of the regulations contains requirements governing 
the importation of pork or pork products from regions where SVD exists. 
We consider SVD to exist in all regions of the world except those 
listed in accordance with paragraph (a) of that section as free of SVD.
    Section 94.13 contains importation requirements governing the 
importation of pork or pork products from regions that have been 
declared free of SVD as provided in Sec.  94.12(a) but supplement their 
national pork supply by the importation of fresh (chilled or frozen) 
meat of animals from regions where SVD is considered to exist, or have 
a common border with such regions, or have trade practices that are 
less restrictive than are acceptable to the United States. Such regions 
are listed in accordance with paragraph (a) of Sec.  94.13.
    Section 94.14 states that no swine which are moved from or transit 
any region in which SVD is known to exist may be imported into the 
United States except wild swine imported in accordance with Sec.  
94.14(b).
    Section 94.17 sets forth restrictions for importation of dry-cured 
pork products from regions where ASF, CSF, SVD, FMD, or rinderpest 
exists.
    The regulations in 9 CFR part 92, Sec.  92.2, contain 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). 
If, after review and evaluation of the information submitted in support 
of the request, APHIS believes the request can be safely granted, APHIS 
will make its evaluation available for public comment through a 
document published in the Federal Register. Following the close of the 
comment period, APHIS will review all comments received and will make a 
final determination regarding the request that will be detailed in 
another document published in the Federal Register.
    Under the current regulations, Malta is considered to be a region 
affected with CSF, SVD, ASF, FMD, and rinderpest. As such, APHIS 
restricts the importation of susceptible species and products derived 
from susceptible species from Malta.
    In July 2006, the Government of the Republic of Malta requested 
that APHIS evaluate its CSF, SVD, ASF, FMD, and rinderpest status. In 
response to this request, we conducted a qualitative risk evaluation to 
evaluate Malta with respect to these diseases. This evaluation included 
site visits to farms and processing facilities in Malta, as well as 
examinations of Malta's capabilities with respect to veterinary control 
and oversight, disease history and vaccination, livestock demographics 
and traceability, epidemiological separation from potential sources of 
infection, disease surveillance, diagnostic laboratory capabilities, 
and emergency preparedness and response. Malta also provided additional 
information requested by APHIS in order to complete the evaluation in 
2008 and 2014.
    Based on the results of our evaluation, APHIS recognizes Malta to 
be free of SVD, ASF, FMD, and rinderpest, and low risk for CSF. APHIS 
has also determined that the surveillance, prevention, and control 
measures implemented by the European Union (EU) and Malta, an EU Member 
State since 2004, are sufficient to minimize the likelihood of 
introducing CSF, SVD, ASF, FMD, and rinderpest into the United States 
via imports of species or products susceptible to these diseases. 
Additionally, our determinations support adding Malta to the Web-based 
list of regions comprising the APHIS-defined European CSF region, which 
APHIS considers to be low risk for CSF, and to the respective Web-based 
lists of regions APHIS considers free of SVD, ASF, FMD, and rinderpest. 
Accordingly, we consider the risk of infected live swine and ruminants, 
or commodities derived from these species, entering the United States 
from Malta under mitigated conditions and exposing U.S. livestock to 
disease to be very low.
    Therefore, in accordance with Sec.  92.2(e), we are announcing the 
availability of our risk evaluation of the CSF, SVD, ASF, FMD, and 
rinderpest status of Malta for public review and comment. We are also 
announcing the availability of an environmental assessment (EA) and a 
finding of no significant impact (FONSI) \3\ which have been prepared 
in accordance with: (1) The National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 
(NEPA), as amended (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.), (2) regulations of the 
Council on Environmental Quality for implementing the procedural 
provision of NEPA (40 CFR parts 1500-1508), (3) USDA regulations 
implementing NEPA (7 CFR part 1b), and (4) APHIS' NEPA Implementing 
Procedures (7 CFR part 372). The evaluation, EA, and FONSI may be 
viewed on the Regulations.gov Web site or in our reading room. 
(Instructions for accessing Regulations.gov and information on the 
location and hours of the reading room are provided under the heading 
ADDRESSES at the beginning of this notice.) The documents are also 
available by contacting the person listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION 
CONTACT.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \3\ The FONSI for Malta incorporates by reference an EA prepared 
for Slovakia that addresses the potential environmental impacts of 
CSF, FMD, SVD, and rinderpest for Slovakia and other EU Member 
States.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Information submitted in support of Malta's request is available by 
contacting the person listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT.
    After reviewing any comments we receive, we will announce our 
decision regarding the disease status of Malta under consideration with 
respect to CSF, SVD, ASF, FMD, and rinderpest

[[Page 29836]]

and the import status of susceptible animals and products of such 
animals in a subsequent notice.

    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 9th day of May 2016.
Michael C. Gregoire,
Acting Administrator, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.
[FR Doc. 2016-11316 Filed 5-12-16; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 3410-34-P