[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 110 (Thursday, June 7, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Page 26410]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-12186]


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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. 83, No. 110 / Thursday, June 7, 2018 / 
Notices  

[[Page 26410]]



DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service

[Docket No. APHIS-2017-0098]


Notice of a Determination Regarding the Classical Swine Fever and 
Swine Vesicular Disease Status of Japan

AGENCY: Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: We are advising the public of our determination that Japan is 
free of classical swine fever (CSF) and swine vesicular disease (SVD). 
Based on an evaluation of the CSF and SVD status of Japan, which we 
made available to the public for review and comment through a previous 
notice, the Administrator has determined that CSF and SVD are not 
present in Japan and that live swine, pork, and pork products may 
safely be imported into the United States from Japan subject to 
conditions in the regulations.

DATES: This change in Japan's CSF and SVD status will be recognized on 
July 9, 2018.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dr. Kelly Rhodes, Senior Staff 
Veterinarian, Regionalization Evaluation Services, National Import 
Export Services, VS, APHIS, USDA, 4700 River Road Unit 38, Riverdale, 
MD 20737-1231; email: [email protected]; (301) 851-3315.

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 in order to prevent the introduction of 
various animal diseases, including classical swine fever (CSF) and 
swine vesicular disease (SVD). These are dangerous and communicable 
diseases of swine.
    Within part 94, Sec.  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. Section 94.12 contains requirements 
governing the importation of pork or pork products from regions where 
SVD exists. Section 94.14 prohibits the importation of domestic swine 
which are moved from or transit any region in which SVD is known to 
exist.
    In accordance with Sec. Sec.  94.9(a)(1) and 94.10(a)(1), the 
Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) maintains a web-
based list of regions which the Agency considers free of CSF. Sections 
94.9(a)(2) and 94.10(a)(2) state that APHIS will add a region to this 
list after it conducts an evaluation of the region and finds that CSF 
is not present.
    Similarly, in accordance with Sec.  94.12(a)(1), APHIS maintains a 
web-based list of regions which the Agency considers free of SVD. 
Paragraph (a)(2) of this section states that APHIS will add a region to 
this list after it conducts an evaluation of the region and finds that 
SVD is not present.
    The regulations in 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.
    In accordance with that process, Japan requested that APHIS 
evaluate the CSF and SVD disease status of the country. Based on our 
evaluation, we determined that Japan is free of both CSF and SVD and 
that the surveillance, prevention, and control measures implemented by 
Japan are sufficient to minimize the likelihood of introducing CSF and 
SVD into the United States via imports of species or products 
susceptible to these diseases.
    On February 20, 2018, we published in the Federal Register (83 FR 
7138, Docket No. APHIS-2017-0098) a notice \1\ in which we announced 
the availability for review and comment of our evaluation of the CSF 
and SVD status of Japan. We solicited comments on the notice for 30 
days ending on March 22, 2018. We received no comments on our 
evaluation.
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    \1\ To view the notice and the supporting documents, go to 
https://www.regulations.gov/docket?D=APHIS20170098.
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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 Japan to the list of regions 
declared free of CSF and the list of regions declared free of SVD. 
These lists are 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. 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 1st day of June 2018.
Kevin Shea,
Administrator, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.
[FR Doc. 2018-12186 Filed 6-6-18; 8:45 am]
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