[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 109 (Thursday, June 8, 2017)]
[Notices]
[Pages 26657-26658]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2017-11889]


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 Notices
                                                 Federal Register
 ________________________________________________________________________
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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 
 and investigations, committee meetings, agency decisions and rulings, 
 delegations of authority, filing of petitions and applications and agency 
 statements of organization and functions are examples of documents 
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  Federal Register / Vol. 82, No. 109 / Thursday, June 8, 2017 / 
Notices  

[[Page 26657]]



DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service

[Docket No. APHIS-2016-0044]


Notice of Determination of the Classical Swine Fever, Foot-and-
Mouth Disease, Rinderpest, and Swine Vesicular Disease Status of Cyprus

AGENCY: Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: We are advising the public of our determination to recognize 
Cyprus as being free of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD), rinderpest, and 
swine vesicular disease (SVD), and as low risk for classical swine 
fever (CSF). Based on the findings of a risk assessment, which we made 
available to the public for review and comment through a previous 
notice, we have determined that the surveillance, prevention, and 
control measures implemented by the European Union (EU) and Cyprus, an 
EU Member State, are sufficient to minimize the likelihood of 
introducing CSF, FMD, SVD, and rinderpest into the United States via 
imports of species susceptible to these diseases or products of those 
species.

DATES: Effective June 8, 2017.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dr. Ingrid Kotowski, Regionalization 
Evaluation Services, National Import Export Services, Veterinary 
Services, APHIS, 920 Main Campus Drive, Suite 200, Raleigh, NC 27606; 
(919) 855-7732; [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 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.
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    \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.
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    Within part 94, Sec.  94.1 contains requirements governing the 
importation of ruminants and swine from regions 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 94.9 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 as free of the disease.
    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).
    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.
    Accordingly, we published a notice \2\ in the Federal Register on 
January 23, 2017 (82 FR 7790-7791, Docket No. APHIS-2016-0044), in 
which we announced the availability, for review and comment, of a risk 
assessment that evaluated the risk of introduction of CSF, FMD, SVD, 
and rinderpest into the United States through the importation of 
animals and animal products from Cyprus.\3\ The notice also made 
available

[[Page 26658]]

a finding of no significant impact statement, which incorporates by 
reference four environmental assessments (EAs) prepared for Slovakia, 
Slovenia, Estonia, and Hungary, that addresses the potential 
environmental impacts of CSF, FMD, SVD, and rinderpest for EU Member 
States. The EAs were also made available for the public to review.
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    \2\ To view the notice and supporting documents, go to http://www.regulations.gov/#!docketDetail;D=APHIS-2016-0044.
    \3\ The geographic scope of the action is limited to the 
Republic of Cyprus, excluding those areas of the Republic of Cyprus 
in which the Government of the Republic of Cyprus does not exercise 
effective control.
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    We solicited comments on the notice for 60 days ending March 24, 
2017. We did not receive any comments. Therefore, in accordance with 
the regulations, we are announcing our decision to recognize Cyprus as 
free of FMD, rinderpest, and SVD, and as low risk for CSF. As such, 
Cyprus will be added 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 FMD, SVD, and rinderpest. The lists of regions 
recognized as free of or at low risk for these diseases can be found by 
visiting the APHIS Web site at http://www.aphis.usda.gov/wps/portal/aphis/ourfocus/importexport and following the link to ``Animal or 
Animal Product.'' Copies of the lists are also available via postal 
mail, fax, or email upon request to Regionalization Evaluation 
Services, National Import Export Services, Veterinary Services, Animal 
and Plant Health Inspection Service, 4700 River Road Unit 39, 
Riverdale, Maryland 20737.

    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 2nd day of June 2017.
Michael C. Gregoire,
Acting Administrator, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.
[FR Doc. 2017-11889 Filed 6-7-17; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 3410-34-P