[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 111 (Monday, June 10, 2019)]
[Notices]
[Pages 26810-26811]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-12067]
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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service
[Docket No. APHIS-2019-0016]
Addition of Mongolia 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 Mongolia 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 Mongolia.
DATES: Mongolia was added to the APHIS list of regions considered
affected with ASF on January 10, 2019.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dr. Rebecca Gordon, Import Risk
Analyst, Strategy and Policy, VS, APHIS, 920 Main Campus Drive, Suite
200, Raleigh, NC 27606; (919) 855-7741; email:
[email protected].
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.
Section 94.8(a)(3) of the regulations states that the Animal and
Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) will consider a region to have
ASF and add it to the list referenced in Sec. 94.8(a)(2) upon
determining ASF exists in the region, based on reports APHIS receives
of outbreaks of the disease from veterinary officials of the exporting
country, from the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE), or from
other sources the Administrator determines to be reliable.
ASF is a highly contagious disease of wild and domestic swine that
can spread rapidly in swine populations
[[Page 26811]]
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 APHIS website at https://www.aphis.usda.gov/aphis/ourfocus/animalhealth/animal-and-animal-product-import-information/animal-health-status-of-regions/.
In a report dated January 15, 2019, the veterinary authorities of
Mongolia reported to the OIE confirmation of an ASF outbreak on January
10, 2019. Therefore, in response to this outbreak, APHIS has added
Mongolia to the list of regions where ASF exists or is reasonably
believed to exist.
Although the importation of most swine commodities from Mongolia
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 Mongolia into the United States.
As a result, pork and pork products from Mongolia, including
casings, 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 4th day of June 2019.
Kevin Shea,
Administrator, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.
[FR Doc. 2019-12067 Filed 6-7-19; 8:45 am]
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