[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 229 (Friday, November 27, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 76005-76006]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-26208]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service

[Docket No. APHIS-2020-0108]


Notice of Request for Revision to and Extension of Approval of an 
Information Collection; Importation of Poultry Meat and Other Poultry 
Products From Sinaloa and Sonora, Mexico; Poultry and Pork Transiting 
the United States

AGENCY: Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, USDA.

ACTION: Revision to and extension of approval of an information 
collection; comment request.

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SUMMARY: In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this 
notice announces the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service's 
intention to request a revision to and extension of approval of an 
information collection associated with the regulations for the 
importation of poultry meat and other poultry products from Sinaloa and 
Sonora and for pork and poultry products transiting the United States.

DATES: We will consider all comments that we receive on or before 
January 26, 2021.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments by either of the following methods:
     Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to http://www.regulations.gov/#!docketDetail;D=APHIS-2020-0108.
     Postal Mail/Commercial Delivery: Send your comment to 
Docket No. APHIS-2020-0108, 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-2020-
0108 or in our reading room, which is located in room 1620 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: For information on the importation of 
poultry meat and other poultry products from Sinaloa and Sonora, 
Mexico, and poultry and pork transiting the United States, contact Dr. 
Nathaniel J. Koval, VS, APHIS, 4700 River Road Unit 39, Riverdale, MD 
20737; (301) 851-3434. For more information on the information 
collection process, contact Mr. Joseph Moxey, APHIS' Information 
Collection Coordinator, at (301) 851-2483.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 
    Title: Importation of Poultry Meat and Other Poultry Products From 
Sinaloa and Sonora, Mexico; Poultry and Pork Transiting the United 
States.
    OMB Control Number: 0579-0144.
    Type of Request: Revision to and extension of approval of an 
information collection.
    Abstract: The Animal Health Protection Act (7 U.S.C. 8301 et seq.) 
is the primary Federal law governing the protection of animal health. 
The law gives the Secretary of Agriculture broad authority to detect, 
control, or eradicate pests or diseases of livestock or poultry. The 
Secretary may also prohibit or restrict the import or export of any 
animal or related material if necessary to prevent the spread of any 
livestock or poultry pest or disease.
    Disease prevention is the most effective method for maintaining a 
healthy animal population and for enhancing the U.S. Department of 
Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Services' (APHIS') 
ability to allow U.S. animal producers to compete in the world market 
of animal and animal product trade. APHIS is the agency charged with 
carrying out disease prevention by regulating the importation of 
animals and animal products into the United States. The regulations 
under which APHIS conducts these disease prevention activities are 
contained in 9 CFR parts 91 through 99. These regulations govern the 
importation of animals and animal products.
    The regulations in Sec.  94.6 provide the requirements for, among 
other things, the importation of poultry carcasses, parts, products, 
and eggs (other than hatching eggs) from regions where Newcastle 
disease (ND) is considered to exist. However, Sec.  94.15 allows 
poultry carcasses, parts, products, and eggs (other than hatching eggs) 
that are not eligible for entry into the United States

[[Page 76006]]

to transit the United States via land ports, for immediate export, from 
certain Mexican States.\1\ APHIS believes that allowing such in-transit 
movements presents a negligible risk of introducing ND into the United 
States while simultaneously avoiding unnecessary restrictions on trade.
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    \1\ The Mexican States of Campeche, Quintana Roo, and Yucatan 
can import certain poultry and poultry products into the United 
States under the restrictions set forth in Sec.  94.33 because they: 
(1) Supplement their meat supply by importing fresh (chilled or 
frozen) poultry meat from regions where ND is considered to exist; 
(2) share a common land border with regions where ND is considered 
to exist; or (3) import live poultry from regions where ND is 
considered to exist under conditions less restrictive than would be 
acceptable for importation into the United States.
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    APHIS also currently has regulations in place that restrict the 
importation of poultry meat and other poultry products from Mexico due 
to the presence of ND in that country. However, under the regulations 
in Sec.  94.30, APHIS allows the importation of poultry meat and 
poultry products from the Mexican States of Sinaloa and Sonora, if 
imported according to APHIS' requirements, because APHIS has determined 
that poultry meat and products from these two Mexican States pose a 
negligible risk of introducing ND into the United States.
    To ensure the above commodities are safe for importation, APHIS 
requires that certain information collection activities take place such 
as foreign meat inspection certificates, serially numbered seals, 
applications for import permits, emergency action notification, and 
pre-arrival notifications.
    This collection includes activities associated with the regulations 
currently in Sec.  94.15 for the transit of pork and pork products from 
certain Mexican States through the United States, under seal, to export 
to another country. These regulations were adopted because APHIS 
considered Mexico, except for certain States, to be affected with 
classical swine fever (CSF). However, in January 16, 2018, APHIS 
published a notice (83 FR 2131-2132, APHIS-2016-0038) announcing the 
addition of Mexico to the list of regions that are considered to be 
free of CSF, thus eliminating the basis for this regulatory 
requirement.
    We are asking the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to approve 
our use of these information collection activities, as described, for 
an additional 3 years.
    The purpose of this notice is to solicit comments from the public 
(as well as affected agencies) concerning our information collection. 
These comments will help us:
    (1) Evaluate whether the collection of information is necessary for 
the proper performance of the functions of the Agency, including 
whether the information will have practical utility;
    (2) Evaluate the accuracy of our estimate of the burden of the 
collection of information, including the validity of the methodology 
and assumptions used;
    (3) Enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to 
be collected; and
    (4) Minimize the burden of the collection of information on those 
who are to respond, through use, as appropriate, of automated, 
electronic, mechanical, and other collection technologies; e.g., 
permitting electronic submission of responses.
    Estimate of burden: The public burden for this collection of 
information is estimated to average 0.99 hours per response.
    Respondents: Federal animal health authorities in Mexico and U.S. 
importers and exporters of poultry meat, other poultry products, pork, 
and pork products from Mexico.
    Estimated annual number of respondents: 79.
    Estimated annual number of responses per respondent: 41.
    Estimated annual number of responses: 3,214.
    Estimated total annual burden on respondents: 3,212 hours. (Due to 
averaging, the total annual burden hours may not equal the product of 
the annual number of responses multiplied by the reporting burden per 
response.)
    All responses to this notice will be summarized and included in the 
request for OMB approval. All comments will also become a matter of 
public record.

    Done in Washington, DC, this 23rd day of November 2020.
Mark Davidson,
Acting Administrator, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.
[FR Doc. 2020-26208 Filed 11-25-20; 8:45 am]
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