[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 11 (Wednesday, January 17, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Pages 2423-2424]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-00694]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service

[Docket No. APHIS-2017-0106]


Notice of Request for Revision to and Extension of Approval of an 
Information Collection; Specimen Submission

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 approval of an 
information collection associated with livestock disease surveillance 
programs.

DATES: We will consider all comments that we receive on or before March 
19, 2018.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments by either of the following methods:
     Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to http://www.regulations.gov/#!docketDetail;D=APHIS-2017-0106.
     Postal Mail/Commercial Delivery: Send your comment to 
Docket No. APHIS-2017-0106, 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-
0106 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) 7997039 before coming.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For information regarding livestock 
disease surveillance programs, contact Ms. Lori Anderson, Chief of 
Staff, STAS, VS, APHIS, 1920 Dayton Ave., Ames, IA 50010; (515) 337-
7405. 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: Specimen Submission.
    OMB Control Number: 0579-0090.
    Type of Request: Revision to and extension of approval of an 
information collection.
    Abstract: The Animal Health Protection Act (7 U.S.C. 8301 et seq.) 
provides the Secretary of Agriculture broad authority to prohibit or 
restrict, through orders and regulations, the importation or entry and 
interstate movement of any animal, article, or means of conveyance if 
the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) determines that the 
prohibition or restriction is necessary to prevent the introduction or 
spread of any pest or disease of livestock within the United States.
    Disease prevention is the most effective method for maintaining a 
healthy animal population and for enhancing the United States' ability 
to globally compete in the trade of animals and animal products. 
However, animal disease prevention cannot be accomplished without the 
existence of an effective disease surveillance program, which is 
conducted by the USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service 
(APHIS), Veterinary Services (VS).
    The animal disease surveillance program is based on information 
submitted on the Specimen Submission form and the continuation sheets, 
as well as equivalent sources. VS forms are critical to VS' mission. 
They are routinely used whenever specimens (such as blood, milk, 
tissue, or urine) from any animal (such as cattle, swine, sheep, goats, 
horses, and poultry) are submitted to the National Veterinary Services 
Laboratories for disease testing. If the information was not collected 
or collected less frequently, APHIS would not have the critical 
information necessary to effectively operate a disease surveillance 
program and identify the animals and herds from which the specimens 
were taken, allowing effective disease prevention and eradication.
    An additional form that APHIS uses is the Parasite Submission form. 
This form is used by the Cattle Fever Tick Eradication Program and the 
National Tick Surveillance Program to identify the individuals 
submitting tick samples and the animal sources of those samples.
    We are asking the Office of Management and Budget (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. 
APHIS needs this outside input to help accomplish the following:
    (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, (such as through the use of appropriate automated, 
electronic, mechanical, or other technological collection techniques, 
e.g., permitting electronic submission of responses.)
    Estimate of Burden: The public burden for this collection of 
information is estimated to average 0.31 hours per response.
    Respondents: State veterinarians and other State personnel who are 
qualified and authorized to collect and submit specimens for laboratory 
analysis, accredited veterinarians, private veterinarians, animal 
health technicians, herd owners, private laboratories, and research 
institutions.
    Estimated Annual Number of Respondents: 1,773.
    Estimated Annual Number of Responses per Respondent: 15.

[[Page 2424]]

    Estimated Annual Number of Responses: 27,193.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden on Respondents: 8,604 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 10th day of January 2018.
Kevin Shea,
Administrator, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.
[FR Doc. 2018-00694 Filed 1-16-18; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 3410-34-P