[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 133 (Tuesday, July 12, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Pages 45121-45122]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2016-16460]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service

[Docket No. APHIS-2016-0013]


Notice of Availability of Proposed Changes to the National 
Poultry Improvement Plan Program Standards

AGENCY: Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice of availability.

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SUMMARY: We are advising the public that proposed changes to the 
National Poultry Improvement Plan Program Standards are available for 
review and comment.

DATES: We will consider all comments that we receive on or before 
August 11, 2016.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments by either of the following methods:
     Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to http://www.regulations.gov/#!docketDetail;D=APHIS-2016-0013.
     Postal Mail/Commercial Delivery: Send your comment to 
Docket No. APHIS-2016-0013, Regulatory Analysis and Development, PPD, 
APHIS, Station 3A-03.8, 4700 River Road Unit 118, Riverdale, MD 20737-
1238.
    The proposed standards and any comments we receive may be viewed at 
http://www.regulations.gov/#!docketDetail;D=APHIS-2016-0013 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. Denise Brinson, DVM, Senior 
Coordinator, National Poultry Improvement Plan, VS, APHIS, USDA, 1506 
Klondike Road, Suite 101, Conyers, GA 30094-5104; (770) 922-3496.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The National Poultry Improvement Plan 
(NPIP), also referred to below as ``the Plan,'' is a cooperative 
Federal-State-Industry mechanism for controlling certain poultry 
diseases. The Plan consists of a variety of programs intended to 
prevent and control poultry diseases. Participation in all Plan 
programs is voluntary, but breeding flocks, hatcheries, and dealers 
must first qualify as ``U.S. Pullorum-Typhoid Clean'' as a condition 
for participating in the other Plan programs.
    The Plan identifies States, flocks, hatcheries, dealers, and 
slaughter plants that meet certain disease control standards specified 
in the Plan's various programs. As a result, customers can buy poultry 
that has tested clean of certain diseases or that has been produced 
under disease-prevention conditions.
    The regulations in 9 CFR parts 56, 145, 146, and 147 (referred to 
below as the regulations) contain the provisions of the Plan. The 
Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) of the U.S. 
Department of Agriculture (USDA) amends these provisions from time to 
time to incorporate new scientific information and technologies within 
the Plan.
    In the past, APHIS has updated the regulations once every 2 years, 
following the Biennial Plan Conference of the NPIP General Conference 
Committee. The NPIP General Conference Committee advises the Secretary 
on poultry health and represents cooperating State agencies and poultry 
industry members. During its meetings and Biennial Conferences, the 
Committee discusses significant poultry health issues and makes 
recommendations to improve the NPIP.
    However, while changes in diagnostic science, testing technology, 
and best practices for maintaining sanitation are continual, the 
rulemaking process can be lengthy. As a result, the regulations have, 
at times, become outdated. To remedy this problem, we determined that 
we needed a more flexible process for amending provisions of the Plan. 
On July 9, 2014, we published in the Federal Register (79 FR 38752-
38768, Docket No. APHIS-2011-0101) a final rule \1\ that, among other 
things, amended the regulations by removing tests and detailed testing 
procedures, as well as sanitation procedures, from part 147, and making 
these available in an NPIP Program Standards document.\2\ The rule

[[Page 45122]]

also amended the regulations to provide for the Program Standards 
document to be updated through the issuance of a notice in the Federal 
Register followed by a period of public comment. The latter change was 
intended to enable us to make the NPIP program more effective by 
allowing us to update Plan provisions without the need for rulemaking.
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    \1\ To view the final rule and related documents, go to http://www.regulations.gov/#!docketDetail;D=APHIS-2011-0101.
    \2\ This document may be viewed on the NPIP Web site at http://www.poultryimprovement.org/documents/ProgramStandardsAugust2014.pdf, 
or by writing to the Service at National Poultry Improvement Plan, 
APHIS, USDA, 1506 Klondike Road, Suite 101, Conyers, GA 30094.
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    The Committee recently voted to amend the Program Standards by 
creating provisions for compartmentalization of primary breeding 
poultry establishments and approval of compartment components such as 
farms, feedmills, hatcheries, and egg depots. The urgency of adding 
such provisions to the Program Standards was reinforced by the 
devastating highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) outbreak of 2014-
2015, which highlighted the enormous impact trade restrictions can have 
on distributing breeding stock to customers around the globe.
    The regulations at 9 CFR 145.45, 145.74, and 145.84 provide the 
basis for compartmentalization of poultry primary breeding companies. 
Compartmentalization is a procedure that a country may implement to 
define and manage animal subpopulations of distinct health status and 
common biosecurity program within its territory, in accordance with the 
guidelines in the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) 
Terrestrial Animal Health Code, for the purpose of disease control and 
international trade. Compartmentalization is distinct from 
regionalization, which involves recognition of geographical zones of a 
country that can be identified and characterized by their level of risk 
for different diseases, but the two are not mutually exclusive. When 
regionalization is not feasible, APHIS may seek to preserve trade with 
key countries in the face of outbreaks of HPAI and other diseases 
through compartmentalization. Compartmentalization may also enable 
continued interstate movement of breeding stock to domestic customers 
and operations if future low pathogenic avian influenza and/or HPAI 
outbreaks occur.
    We are advising the public that we have prepared updates to the 
NPIP Program Standards document. The proposed updates would amend the 
Program Standards by adding provisions for compartmentalization of 
primary breeding poultry establishments and approval of compartment 
components such as farms, feedmills, hatcheries, and egg depots, as 
recommended by the General Conference Committee. Included in the 
proposed additions are requirements for applying for 
compartmentalization of facilities and for facility design and 
management, as well as an outline of the auditing system APHIS will use 
to evaluate compartments and their component operations.
    After reviewing any comments we receive on the proposed updates, we 
will publish a second notice in the Federal Register announcing our 
decision regarding the proposed changes.

Paperwork Reduction Act

    In accordance with section 3507(d) of the Paperwork Reduction Act 
of 1995 (44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.), we have determined that there are 
reporting and recordkeeping burdens associated with the 
compartmentalization provisions we are considering. We will publish a 
separate document in the Federal Register, announcing our determination 
of burden and soliciting comments on it.

    Authority: 7 U.S.C. 8301-8317; 7 CFR 2.22, 2.80, and 371.4.

    Done in Washington, DC, this 6th day of July 2016.
 Kevin Shea,
Administrator, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.
[FR Doc. 2016-16460 Filed 7-11-16; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 3410-34-P