[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 218 (Tuesday, November 12, 2019)]
[Notices]
[Page 61005]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-24455]


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 Notices
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 This section of the FEDERAL REGISTER contains documents other than rules 
 or proposed rules that are applicable to the public. Notices of hearings 
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  Federal Register / Vol. 84, No. 218 / Tuesday, November 12, 2019 / 
Notices  

[[Page 61005]]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service

[Docket No. APHIS-2018-0087]


Concurrence With OIE Risk Designations 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 decision to concur with the 
World Organization for Animal Health's (OIE) bovine spongiform 
encephalopathy (BSE) risk designations 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 designations for this region.

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) 855-7741; 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 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 recognized a country as either BSE negligible risk 
or BSE controlled risk, APHIS will seek information to support our 
concurrence with the OIE classification. This information may be 
publicly available information, or APHIS may request that countries 
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 that process, we published a notice\1\ in the 
Federal Register on June 17, 2019 (84 FR 28001, Docket No. APHIS-2018-
0087), in which we announced our intent to concur with the OIE 
recognition of Nicaragua as being a region of negligible risk for BSE. 
We solicited comments on the notice for 60 days ending on August 16, 
2019. We received one comment by that date, from a private citizen.
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    \1\ To view the comment we received, go to https://www.regulations.gov/docket?D=APHIS-2018-0087.
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    The commenter voiced doubts about the efficacy of the BSE minimal 
risk region policy, concerns about other prion diseases such as chronic 
wasting disease circulating in the United States and the world, and 
skepticism that the ruminant-to-ruminant feed ban has been effectively 
enforced. The commenter did not, however, address our preliminary 
concurrence with the OIE's risk designation for Nicaragua or the 
documentation made available to support that action.
    Therefore, in accordance with the regulations in Sec.  92.5, we are 
announcing our decision to concur with the OIE risk classification of 
Nicaragua as a region of negligible risk for BSE.

    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 4th day of November 2019.
Kevin Shea,
Administrator, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.
[FR Doc. 2019-24455 Filed 11-8-19; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 3410-34-P