[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 153 (Wednesday, August 10, 2022)]
[Notices]
[Pages 48619-48620]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2022-17192]


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 Notices
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  Federal Register / Vol. 87, No. 153 / Wednesday, August 10, 2022 / 
Notices  

[[Page 48619]]



DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service

[Docket No. APHIS-2021-0066]


Addition of the Kingdom of Lesotho, the Republic of Benin, and 
the Republic of Botswana to the List of Regions Affected With Highly 
Pathogenic Avian Influenza

AGENCY: Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: We are advising the public that we added the Kingdom of 
Lesotho, the Republic of Benin, and the Republic of Botswana to the 
list of regions that the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service 
considers to be affected by highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI). 
These actions follow our imposition of HPAI-related restrictions on 
avian commodities originating from or transiting the Kingdom of 
Lesotho, the Republic of Benin, and the Republic of Botswana, as a 
result of the confirmation of HPAI in the Kingdom of Lesotho, the 
Republic of Benin, and the Republic of Botswana.

DATES: The Kingdom of Lesotho, the Republic of Benin, and the Republic 
of Botswana were added to the list of regions APHIS considers to be 
affected with HPAI, effective respectively on June 8, 2021; August 26, 
2021; and September 10, 2021.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For further information regarding HPAI 
in the Kingdom of Lesotho and the Republic of Benin, contact Dr. John 
Grabau, APHIS Veterinary Services, Regionalization Evaluation Services, 
Strategy and Policy, 920 Main Campus Drive, Venture II, Raleigh, NC 
27606; phone: (919) 855-7738; email: [email protected]. For 
further information regarding HPAI in the Republic of Botswana, contact 
Dr. C. Aaron Monroy, APHIS Veterinary Services, Regionalization 
Evaluation Services, Strategy and Policy, 920 Main Campus Drive, 
Venture II, Raleigh, NC 27606; phone: (919) 855-7207; email: 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The regulations in 9 CFR part 94 (referred 
to below as the regulations) govern the importation of certain animals 
and animal products into the United States to prevent the introduction 
of various animal diseases, including Newcastle disease and highly 
pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI). The regulations prohibit or restrict 
the importation of live poultry, poultry meat, and other poultry 
products from regions where these diseases are considered to exist.
    Section 94.6 of the regulations contains requirements governing the 
importation into the United States of carcasses, meat, parts or 
products of carcasses, and eggs (other than hatching eggs) of poultry, 
game birds, or other birds from regions of the world where HPAI exists 
or is reasonably believed to exist. HPAI is an extremely infectious and 
potentially fatal form of avian influenza in birds and poultry that, 
once established, can spread rapidly from flock to flock. The Animal 
and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) maintains a list of 
restricted regions it considers affected with HPAI of any subtype on 
the APHIS website at https://www.aphis.usda.gov/aphis/ourfocus/animalhealth/animal-and-animal-product-import-information/animal-health-status-of-regions.
    APHIS receives notice of HPAI outbreaks from veterinary officials 
of the exporting country, from the World Organization for Animal Health 
(WOAH),\1\ or from other sources the Administrator determines to be 
reliable.
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    \1\ The World Organization for Animal Health internationally 
follows a British English spelling of ``organisation'' in its name; 
it was formerly the Office International des Epizooties, or OIE, but 
on May 28, 2022, the Organization announced that the acronym was 
changed from OIE to WOAH.
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    On May 31, 2021, the veterinary authorities of the Kingdom of 
Lesotho reported to the WOAH an HPAI occurrence in that country. On 
June 8, 2021, after confirming that the HPAI occurred in commercial 
birds or poultry, APHIS added the Kingdom of Lesotho to the list of 
regions where HPAI exists. On that same day, APHIS issued an import 
alert notifying stakeholders that APHIS imposed restrictions on the 
importation of poultry, commercial birds, other types of birds 
(research, performing), ratites, any avian hatching eggs, unprocessed 
avian products and byproducts, and certain fresh poultry products from 
the Kingdom of Lesotho to mitigate risk of HPAI introduction into the 
United States.
    On August 20, 2021, the veterinary authorities of the Republic of 
Benin reported to the WOAH an HPAI occurrence in that country. On 
August 26, 2021, after confirming that the HPAI occurred in commercial 
birds or poultry, APHIS added the Republic of Benin to the list of 
regions where HPAI exists. On that same day, APHIS issued an import 
alert notifying stakeholders that APHIS imposed restrictions on the 
importation of poultry, commercial birds, other types of birds 
(research, performing), ratites, any avian hatching eggs, unprocessed 
avian products and byproducts, and certain fresh poultry products from 
the Republic of Benin to mitigate risk of HPAI introduction into the 
United States.
    On September 6, 2021, the veterinary authorities of the Republic of 
Botswana reported to the WOAH an HPAI occurrence in that country. On 
September 10, 2021, after confirming that the HPAI occurred in 
commercial birds or poultry, APHIS added the Republic of Botswana to 
the list of regions where HPAI exists. On that same day, APHIS issued 
an import alert notifying stakeholders that APHIS imposed restrictions 
on the importation of poultry, commercial birds, other types of birds 
(research, performing), ratites, any avian hatching eggs, unprocessed 
avian products and byproducts, and certain fresh poultry products from 
the Republic of Botswana to mitigate risk of HPAI introduction into the 
United States.
    With the publication of this notice, we are informing the public 
that we added: The Kingdom of Lesotho to the list of regions APHIS 
considers affected with HPAI of any subtype, effective June 8, 2021; 
the Republic of Benin to the list of regions APHIS considers affected 
with HPAI of any subtype, effective August 26, 2021; and the Republic 
of Botswana to the list of regions APHIS considers affected with HPAI 
of any subtype, effective September 10, 2021.

[[Page 48620]]

This notice serves as an official record and public notification of 
these actions.

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. 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 August 2022.
Anthony Shea,
Administrator, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.
[FR Doc. 2022-17192 Filed 8-9-22; 8:45 am]
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