[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 201 (Thursday, October 17, 2019)]
[Notices]
[Pages 55546-55547]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-22645]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service

[Docket No. APHIS-2018-0030]


Notice of a Determination Regarding the Fever Tick Status of the 
State of Baja California, Mexico

AGENCY: Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: We are advising the public that we have determined that the 
State of Baja California, Mexico is free from Rhipicephalus (formerly 
Boophilus) spp. ticks, known as fever ticks. The evaluation determined 
that this region is free from fever ticks and that ruminants imported 
from the area pose a low risk of exposing ruminants within the United 
States.

DATES: This change in fever tick status will be recognized on November 
18, 2019.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dr. Betzaida Lopez, Senior Staff 
Veterinarian, Strategy and Policy, VS, APHIS, 4700 River Road Unit 39, 
Riverdale, MD 20737; (301) 851-3300.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The regulations in 9 CFR part 93 prohibit or 
restrict the importation of certain animals, birds, and poultry into 
the United States to prevent the introduction of communicable diseases 
of livestock and poultry. Subpart D of part 93 (Sec. Sec.  93.400 
through 93.436, referred to below as the regulations) governs the 
importation of ruminants; within the regulations, Sec. Sec.  93.424 
through 93.429 specifically address the importation of ruminants from 
Mexico into the United States.
    The regulations in paragraph (b)(1) of Sec.  [thinsp]93.427 contain 
conditions for the importation of ruminants from regions of Mexico that 
we consider free from Rhipicephalus (formerly Boophilus) spp. ticks, 
known as fever ticks. Regions of Mexico that we consider free from 
fever ticks are listed at https://www.aphis.usda.gov/aphis/ourfocus/
animalhealth/animal-and-animal-

[[Page 55547]]

product-import-information/animal-health-status-of-regions/animal-
health-status-of-regions.
    The regulations in 9 CFR 92.2 contain requirements for requesting 
the recognition of the animal health status of a region or 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, the 
Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) believes the request 
can be safely granted, APHIS will make its evaluation available for 
public comment through a notice 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 notice published in the 
Federal Register.
    In accordance with that process, Mexico asked APHIS to recognize 
the State of Baja California, Mexico as a region free from fever ticks. 
In response to this request, we prepared an evaluation of the fever 
tick status of this region. The evaluation concluded that the State of 
Baja California, Mexico is free from fever ticks, and that ruminants 
imported from the region pose a low risk of exposing ruminants within 
the United States to fever ticks.
    On March 19, 2019, we published in the Federal Register (84 FR 
10023-10024, Docket No. APHIS-2018-0030) a notice \1\ in which we 
announced the availability for review and comment of our evaluation of 
the fever tick status of the State of Baja California, Mexico. We 
solicited comments on the notice for 60 days ending on May 20, 2019. We 
received no comments on our evaluation.
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    \1\ To view the notice and the evaluation, go to http://www.regulations.gov/#!docketDetail;D=APHIS-2018-0030.
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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 the State of Baja California, 
Mexico to the list of regions of Mexico declared free from fever ticks. 
This list is available on the APHIS website at https://www.aphis.usda.gov/aphis/ourfocus/animalhealth/animal-and-animal-product-import-information/animal-health-status-of-regions/animal-health-status-of-regions.

Congressional Review Act

    Pursuant to the Congressional Review Act (5 U.S.C. 801 et seq.), 
the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs designated this action 
as not a major rule, as defined by 5 U.S.C. 804(2).

    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 10th day of October 2019.
 Kevin Shea,
 Administrator, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.
[FR Doc. 2019-22645 Filed 10-16-19; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 3410-34-P