[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 60 (Wednesday, March 28, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Page 13222]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-06131]


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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 
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 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. 83, No. 60 / Wednesday, March 28, 2018 / 
Notices  

[[Page 13222]]



DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service

[Docket No. APHIS-2015-0042]


Notice of a Determination Regarding the Fever Tick Status of the 
State of Chihuahua, Excluding the Municipalities of Guadalupe y Calvo 
and Morelos

AGENCY: Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: We are advising the public that we have determined that the 
State of Chihuahua, excluding the municipalities of Guadalupe y Calvo 
and Morelos, is free from fever ticks. Based on an evaluation of the 
fever tick status of this region, which we made available to the public 
for review and comment through a previous notice, the Administrator has 
determined that this region is free from fever ticks and that ruminants 
imported from the region present a low risk of exposing ruminants in 
the United States to fever ticks.

DATES: This change in fever tick status will be recognized on April 27, 
2018.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dr. Betzaida Lopez, Senior Staff 
Veterinarian, National Import Export Services, VS, APHIS, 4700 River 
Road Unit 39, Riverdale, MD 20737; (301) 851-3300.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The regulations in 9 CFR part 93 prohibit or 
restrict the importation of certain animals, birds, and poultry into 
the United States to prevent the introduction of communicable diseases 
of livestock and poultry. Subpart D of part 93 (Sec. Sec.  93.400 
through 93.436, referred to below as the regulations) governs the 
importation of ruminants; within the regulations, Sec. Sec.  93.424 
through 93.429 specifically address the importation of ruminants from 
Mexico into the United States.
    The regulations in paragraph (b)(1) of Sec.  93.427 contain 
conditions for the importation of ruminants from regions of Mexico that 
we consider free from the Rhipicephalus (formerly Boophilus) annulatus 
ticks and Rhipicephalus microplus ticks, known as cattle fever ticks. 
Fever ticks are the North American vectors for bovine babesiosis, or 
cattle fever. Regions of Mexico that we consider free from fever ticks 
are listed at https://www.aphis.usda.gov/aphis/ourfocus/animalhealth/animal-and-animal-product-import-information/ct_animal_disease_status. 
Currently, the State of Sonora is the only region on this list.
    The regulations in 9 CFR 92.2 contain requirements for requesting 
the recognition of the animal health status of a region or 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, the 
Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) believes the request 
can be safely granted, APHIS will make its evaluation available for 
public comment through a notice 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 notice published in the 
Federal Register.
    In accordance with that process, Mexico asked APHIS to recognize 
the State of Chihuahua, except the municipalities of Guadalupe y Calvo 
and Morelos, as a region free from fever ticks. In response to this 
request, we prepared an evaluation of the fever tick status of this 
region. The evaluation concluded that the State of Chihuahua, excluding 
the municipalities of Guadalupe y Calvo and Morelos, is free from fever 
ticks, and that ruminants imported from the region pose a low risk of 
exposing ruminants within the United States to fever ticks.
    On May 12, 2016, we published in the Federal Register (81 FR 29524-
29525, Docket No. APHIS-2015-0042) a notice \1\ in which we announced 
the availability for review and comment of our evaluation of the fever 
tick status of the State of Chihuahua, except the municipalities of 
Guadalupe y Calvo and Morelos. We solicited comments on the notice for 
60 days ending on July 11, 2016. We received no comments on our 
evaluation.
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    \1\ To view the notice and the evaluation, go to http://www.regulations.gov/#!docketDetail;D=APHIS-2015-0042.
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    Therefore, based on the findings of our evaluation and the absence 
of comments that would lead us to reconsider those findings, we are 
announcing our determination to add the State of Chihuahua, excluding 
the municipalities of Guadalupe y Calvo and Morelos, to the list of 
regions of Mexico declared free from fever ticks. This list is 
available on the APHIS website at https://www.aphis.usda.gov/aphis/ourfocus/animalhealth/animal-and-animal-product-import-information/ct_animal_disease_status.

    Authority:  7 U.S.C. 1622 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 22nd day of March 2018.
Kevin Shea,
Administrator, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.
[FR Doc. 2018-06131 Filed 3-27-18; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 3410-34-P