[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 231 (Monday, December 4, 2017)]
[Notices]
[Pages 57197-57199]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2017-26057]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service

[Docket No. APHIS-2017-0095]


Notice of Request for Revision to and Extension of Approval of an 
Information Collection; Importation of Poultry Meat and Other Poultry 
Products From Sinaloa and Sonora; Poultry and Pork Transiting the 
United States

AGENCY: Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, USDA.

ACTION: Revision to and extension of approval of an information 
collection; comment request.

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SUMMARY: In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this 
notice announces the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service's 
intention to request a revision to and extension of

[[Page 57198]]

approval of an information collection associated with the regulations 
for the importation of poultry meat and other poultry products from 
Sinaloa and Sonora and for pork and poultry products transiting the 
United States.

DATES: We will consider all comments that we receive on or before 
February 2, 2018.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments by either of the following methods:
     Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to http://www.regulations.gov/#!docketDetail;D=APHIS-2017-0095.
     Postal Mail/Commercial Delivery: Send your comment to 
Docket No. APHIS-2017-0095, 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-2017-
0095 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: For information on the importation of 
poultry meat and other poultry products from Sinaloa and Sonora, 
Mexico, and poultry and pork transiting the United States, contact Dr. 
Magde Elshafie, VS, APHIS, 4700 River Road, Unit 39, Riverdale, MD 
20737; (301) 851-3300. For copies of more detailed information on the 
information collection, contact Ms. Kimberly Hardy, APHIS' Information 
Collection Coordinator, at (301) 851-2483.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 
    Title: Importation of Poultry Meat and Other Poultry Products From 
Sinaloa and Sonora, Mexico; Poultry and Pork Transiting the United 
States.
    OMB Control Number: 0579-0144.
    Type of Request: Revision to and extension of approval of an 
information collection.
    Abstract: The Animal Health Protection Act is the primary Federal 
law governing the protection of animal health. The law gives the 
Secretary of Agriculture broad authority to detect, control, or 
eradicate pests or diseases of livestock or poultry. The Secretary may 
also prohibit or restrict the import or export of any animal or related 
material if necessary to prevent the spread of any livestock or poultry 
pest or disease.
    Disease prevention is the most effective method for maintaining a 
healthy animal population and for enhancing the U.S. Department of 
Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), 
Veterinary Services' ability to allow U.S. animal producers to compete 
in the world market of animal and animal product trade. APHIS is the 
agency charged with carrying out disease prevention by regulating the 
importation of animals and animal products into the United States. The 
regulations under which APHIS conducts these disease prevention 
activities are contained in title 9, chapter 1, subchapter D, parts 91 
through 99, of the Code of Federal Regulations. These regulations 
govern the importation of animals and animal products.
    APHIS currently places certain restrictions on the importation and 
in-transit movement of fresh (chilled or frozen) pork and pork products 
from Mexico because of the presence of classical swine fever (CSF) in 
some areas of Mexico.\1\ However, the regulations in Sec.  94.15 allow 
pork and pork products from certain Mexican States to transit the 
United States, under seal, for export to another country.
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    \1\ On August 8, 2017, APHIS published a notice of availability 
of an evaluation of the CSF status of Mexico. The notice, supporting 
documents, and the comment we received may be viewed at https://www.regulations.gov/docket?D=APHIS-2016-0038.
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    In addition, the regulations in Sec.  94.6 provide the requirements 
for, among other things, the importation of poultry carcasses, parts, 
products, and eggs (other than hatching eggs) from regions where 
Newcastle disease (ND) is considered to exist. However, Sec.  94.33 
allows poultry carcasses, parts, products, and eggs (other than 
hatching eggs) that do not qualify for entry into the United States to 
transit the United States via land ports, for immediate export, from 
Mexican States that Mexico considers to be free of ND. APHIS believes 
that allowing such in-transit movements presents a negligible risk of 
introducing ND or CSF into the United States while simultaneously 
avoiding unnecessary restrictions on trade.
    APHIS also currently has regulations in place that restrict the 
importation of poultry meat and other poultry products from Mexico due 
to the presence of ND in that country. However, under the regulations 
in Sec.  94.30, APHIS allows the importation of poultry meat and 
poultry products from the Mexican States of Sinaloa and Sonora, if 
imported according to APHIS' requirements, because APHIS has determined 
that poultry meat and products from these two Mexican States pose a 
negligible risk of introducing ND into the United States.
    To ensure these items are safe for importation, APHIS requires that 
information collection activities take place such as foreign meat 
inspection certificates, serially numbered seals, applications for 
import permits, emergency action notification, and pre-arrival 
notifications.
    The information collection requirements above are currently 
approved by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) under OMB control 
numbers 0579-0144 (Importation of Poultry Meat and other Poultry 
Products from Sinaloa and Sonora, Mexico) and 0579-0145 (Poultry and 
Pork Products Transiting the United States). After OMB approves this 
combined information collection package (0579-0144), APHIS will retire 
OMB control number 0579-0145.
    In addition, as a result of merging these information collection 
activities, APHIS has revised the title of this information collection 
from ``Importation of Poultry Meat and other Poultry Products from 
Sinaloa and Sonora, Mexico'', to ``Importation of Poultry Meat and 
Other Poultry Products From Sinaloa and Sonora, Mexico; Poultry and 
Pork Transiting the United States.''
    We are asking OMB to approve our use of these information 
collection activities, as described, for an additional 3 years.
    The purpose of this notice is to solicit comments from the public 
(as well as affected agencies) concerning our information collection. 
These comments will help us:
    (1) Evaluate whether the collection of information is necessary for 
the proper performance of the functions of the Agency, including 
whether the information will have practical utility;
    (2) Evaluate the accuracy of our estimate of the burden of the 
collection of information, including the validity of the methodology 
and assumptions used;
    (3) Enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to 
be collected; and
    (4) Minimize the burden of the collection of information on those 
who are to respond, through use, as appropriate, of automated, 
electronic, mechanical, and other collection technologies; e.g., 
permitting electronic submission of responses.
    Estimate of burden: The public burden for this collection of 
information is estimated to average 0.9 hours per response.
    Respondents: Federal animal health authorities in Mexico and U.S. 
importers and exporters of poultry meat,

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other poultry products, pork, and pork products from Mexico.
    Estimated annual number of respondents: 400.
    Estimated annual number of responses per respondent: 1.40.
    Estimated annual number of responses: 562.
    Estimated total annual burden on respondents: 558 hours. (Due to 
averaging, the total annual burden hours may not equal the product of 
the annual number of responses multiplied by the reporting burden per 
response.)
    All responses to this notice will be summarized and included in the 
request for OMB approval. All comments will also become a matter of 
public record.

    Done in Washington, DC, this 29th day of November 2017.
Kevin Shea,
Administrator, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.
[FR Doc. 2017-26057 Filed 12-1-17; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-34-P