[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 116 (Monday, June 17, 2019)]
[Notices]
[Pages 28001-28002]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-12654]
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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service
[Docket No. APHIS-2018-0087]
Concurrence With OIE Risk Designation for Bovine Spongiform
Encephalopathy
AGENCY: Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, USDA.
ACTION: Notice.
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SUMMARY: We are advising the public of our preliminary concurrence with
the World Organization for Animal Health's (OIE) bovine spongiform
encephalopathy (BSE) risk designation for Nicaragua. The OIE recognizes
this region as being of negligible risk for BSE. We are taking this
action based on our review of information supporting the OIE's risk
designation for this region.
DATES: We will consider all comments that we receive on or before
August 16, 2019.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments by either of the following methods:
Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to http://www.regulations.gov/#!docketDetail;D=APHIS-2018-0087.
Postal Mail/Commercial Delivery: Send your comment to
Docket No. APHIS-2018-0087, 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-
0087 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. Kari Coulson, Senior Staff
Veterinarian, Strategy and Policy, VS, APHIS, 920 Main Campus Drive,
Suite 200, Raleigh, NC 27606; (919) 480-9876; email:
[email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The regulations in 9 CFR part 92, subpart B,
``Importation of Animals and Animal Products; Procedures for Requesting
BSE Risk Status Classification With Regard To Bovines'' (referred to
below as the regulations), set forth the process by which the Animal
and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) classifies regions for
bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) risk. Section 92.5 of the
regulations provides that all countries of the world are considered by
APHIS to be in one of three BSE risk categories: Negligible risk,
controlled risk, or undetermined risk. These risk categories are
defined in Sec. 92.1. Any region that is not classified by APHIS as
presenting either negligible risk or controlled risk for BSE is
considered to present an undetermined risk. The list of those regions
classified by APHIS as having either negligible risk or controlled risk
can be accessed on the APHIS website at https://www.aphis.usda.gov/aphis/ourfocus/animalhealth/animal-and-animal-product-import-information/animal-health-status-of-regions. The list can also be
obtained by writing to APHIS at Regionalization Evaluation Services,
4700 River Road, Unit 38, Riverdale, MD 20737.
Under the regulations, APHIS may classify a region for BSE in one
of two ways. One way is for regions that have not received a risk
classification from
[[Page 28002]]
the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) to request
classification by APHIS. The other way is for APHIS to concur with the
classification given to a country or region by the OIE.
If the OIE has classified a region as either BSE negligible risk or
BSE controlled risk, APHIS will seek information to support concurrence
with the OIE classification. This information may be publicly available
information, or APHIS may request that regions supply the same
information given to the OIE. APHIS will announce in the Federal
Register, subject to public comment, its intent to concur with an OIE
classification.
In accordance with this process, we are giving notice in this
document that APHIS intends to concur with the OIE risk classification
of Nicaragua as a region of negligible risk for BSE.
The OIE recommendation regarding Nicaragua can be viewed at http://www.oie.int/animal-health-in-the-world/official-disease-status/bse/list-of-bse-risk-status/. The conclusions of the OIE scientific
commission for Nicaragua can be viewed at http://www.oie.int/fileadmin/Home/eng/Internationa_Standard_Setting/docs/pdf/SCAD/A_SCAD_Feb2018.pdf
(page 47).
After reviewing any comments we receive, we will announce our final
determination regarding the BSE classification of Nicaragua in the
Federal Register, along with a discussion of and response to pertinent
issues raised by commenters. If APHIS recognizes Nicaragua as
negligible risk for BSE, the Agency will include that region on the
list of regions of negligible risk for BSE that is available to the
public on the Agency's website at https://www.aphis.usda.gov/aphis/ourfocus/animalhealth/animal-and-animal-product-import-information/animal-health-status-of-regions.
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 11th day of June 2019.
Kevin Shea,
Administrator, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.
[FR Doc. 2019-12654 Filed 6-14-19; 8:45 am]
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