[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 53 (Tuesday, March 19, 2019)]
[Notices]
[Pages 10024-10025]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-05073]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service

[Docket No. APHIS-2018-0043]


Notice of Availability of an Evaluation of the Foot-and-Mouth 
Disease Status of Singapore

AGENCY: Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice of availability.

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SUMMARY: We are advising the public that we are proposing to recognize 
Singapore as being free of foot-and-mouth disease. This proposed 
recognition is based on an evaluation we have prepared in connection 
with this action, which we are making available for review and comment.

DATES: We will consider all comments that we receive on or before May 
20, 2019.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments by either of the following methods:
     Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to http://www.regulations.gov/#!docketDetail;D=APHIS-2018-0043.
     Postal Mail/Commercial Delivery: Send your comment to 
Docket No. APHIS-2018-0043, 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-2018-
0043 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: Dr. Roberta A. Morales, Senior Staff 
Veterinarian, Regionalization Evaluation Services, Strategy and Policy, 
VS, APHIS, 920 Main Campus Drive, Raleigh, NC 27606; (919) 855-7735; 
[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 foot-and-mouth disease (FMD). The 
regulations prohibit or restrict the importation of live ruminants and 
swine, and products from these animals, from regions where APHIS 
considers FMD to exist.
    Within part 94, Sec.  94.1 contains requirements governing the 
importation of ruminants and swine from regions where FMD exists and 
the importation of the meat of any ruminants or swine from regions 
where FMD exists to prevent the introduction of this disease into the 
United States. We consider FMD to exist in all regions except those 
listed in accordance with paragraph (a) of that section as free of FMD.
    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 FMD, but that are subject to certain 
restrictions because of their proximity to or trading relationships 
with FMD-affected regions. Such regions are listed in accordance with 
paragraph (a) of that section.
    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.
    Singapore submitted a request to APHIS to evaluate the FMD status 
of the country. In response to this request, APHIS conducted a 
qualitative risk assessment to evaluate Singapore with respect to this 
disease. Based on this evaluation, APHIS recognizes Singapore to be 
free of FMD. APHIS has also determined that the surveillance, 
prevention, and control measures implemented by Singapore are 
sufficient to minimize the likelihood of introducing FMD into the 
United States via imports of species susceptible to this disease or 
products of those species. Our determination supports adding Singapore 
to the Web-based list of regions APHIS considers free of FMD.
    Therefore, in accordance with Sec.  92.2(e), we are announcing the 
availability of our risk evaluation of the FMD status of Singapore for 
public review and comment. We are also announcing the availability of 
an environmental assessment (EA), which

[[Page 10025]]

has been prepared in accordance with: (1) The National Environmental 
Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA), as amended (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.), (2) 
regulations of the Council on Environmental Quality for implementing 
the procedural provision of NEPA (40 CFR parts 1500-1508), (3) USDA 
regulations implementing NEPA (7 CFR part 1b), and (4) APHIS' NEPA 
Implementing Procedures (7 CFR part 372). The evaluation and the EA may 
be viewed on the Regulations.gov website or in our reading room. 
(Instructions for accessing Regulations.gov and information on the 
location and hours of the reading room are provided under the heading 
ADDRESSES at the beginning of this notice.) The documents are also 
available by contacting the person listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION 
CONTACT.
    Information submitted in support of Singapore's original request is 
available by contacting the person listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION 
CONTACT.
    After reviewing any comments we receive, we will announce our 
decision regarding the disease status of Singapore with respect to FMD 
and the import status of susceptible animals and products of such 
animals in a subsequent notice.

    Authority: 7 U.S.C. 1633, 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 March 13, 2019.
Kevin Shea,
Administrator, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.
[FR Doc. 2019-05073 Filed 3-18-19; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-34-P