[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 58 (Tuesday, March 26, 2019)]
[Notices]
[Pages 11281-11282]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-05680]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service

[Docket No. APHIS-2018-0037]


Addition of China to the List of Regions Affected by African 
Swine Fever

AGENCY: Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: We are advising the public that we have added China to the 
list of regions that the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service 
considers to be affected with African swine fever (ASF). We are taking 
this action because of the confirmation of ASF in China.

DATES: China was added to the APHIS list of regions considered affected 
with ASF on August 6, 2018.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dr. Joyce Bowling-Heyward, DVM, 
National Director, Regionalization Evaluation Services, Strategy and 
Policy, VS, APHIS, USDA, 4700 River Road Unit 39, Riverdale, MD 20737; 
(301) 851-3350.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The regulations in 9 CFR part 94 (referred 
to below as the regulations) govern the importation of specified 
animals and animal products to prevent the introduction into the United 
States of various animal diseases, including foot-and-mouth disease, 
bovine spongiform encephalopathy, swine vesicular disease, classical 
swine fever, and African swine fever (ASF). These are dangerous and 
destructive diseases of ruminants and swine.
    Sections 94.8 and 94.17 of the regulations contain requirements 
governing the importation into the United States of pork and pork 
products from regions of the world where ASF exists or is reasonably 
believed to exist and imposes restrictions on the importation of pork 
and pork products into the United States from those regions. ASF is a 
highly contagious disease of wild and domestic swine that can spread 
rapidly in swine populations with extremely high rates of morbidity and 
mortality. A list of regions where ASF exists or is reasonably believed 
to exist is maintained on the Animal and

[[Page 11282]]

Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) website at https://www.aphis.usda.gov/aphis/ourfocus/animalhealth/animal-and-animal-product-import-information/animal-health-status-of-regions/.
    APHIS receives notice of ASF outbreaks from veterinary officials of 
the exporting country, from the World Organization for Animal Health 
(OIE), or from other publically available sources the Administrator 
determines to be reliable. In a report dated August 6, 2018, the 
veterinary authorities of China reported to the OIE confirmation of an 
ASF outbreak.
    Although the importation of most swine commodities from China into 
the United States is already restricted based on that country's 
classical swine fever, foot-and-mouth disease, and swine vesicular 
disease status, APHIS has determined that it is necessary to impose 
ASF-related restrictions on the importation of pork and pork products 
from China into the United States.
    Therefore, in response to this outbreak, APHIS has added China to 
the list of regions where ASF exists or is reasonably believed to 
exist. As a result, pork and pork products, including casings, from 
China are subject to APHIS import restrictions designed to mitigate the 
risk of ASF introduction into the United States.

    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 20th day of March 2019.
Kevin Shea,
Administrator, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.
[FR Doc. 2019-05680 Filed 3-25-19; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 3410-34-P