[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 31 (Wednesday, February 15, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 9853-9854]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-03134]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service

[Docket No. APHIS-2022-0028]


Addition of the Kingdom of Thailand and the Republic of North 
Macedonia to the List of Regions Affected With African Swine Fever

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 
Thailand and the Republic of North Macedonia to the list of regions 
that the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service considers to be 
affected by African swine fever (ASF). We have taken these actions 
because of confirmation of ASF in the Kingdom of Thailand and the 
Republic of North Macedonia.

DATES: The Kingdom of Thailand and the Republic of North Macedonia were 
added to the list of regions APHIS considers to be affected with ASF, 
effective respectively on January 20, 2022, and February 3, 2022.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For further information regarding ASF 
in the Kingdom of Thailand and the Republic of North Macedonia, contact 
Dr. John Grabau, Regionalization Evaluation Services, Strategy and 
Policy, Veterinary Services, APHIS, 920 Main Campus Drive, Venture II, 
Raleigh, NC 27606; phone: (919) 855-7225; email: 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The regulations in 9 CFR part 94 (referred 
to below as the regulations) govern the importation of specified 
animals and animal products to prevent the introduction into the United 
States of various animal diseases, including African swine fever (ASF). 
ASF is a highly contagious disease of wild and domestic swine that can 
spread rapidly in swine populations with extremely high rates of 
morbidity and mortality. A list of regions where ASF exists or is 
reasonably believed to exist is maintained on the Animal and Plant 
Health Inspection Service (APHIS) website at https://www.aphis.usda.gov/aphis/ourfocus/animalhealth/animal-and-animal-product-import-information/animal-health-status-of-regions/. This list 
is referenced in Sec.  94.8(a)(2) of the regulations.
    Section 94.8(a)(3) of the regulations states that APHIS will add a 
region to the list referenced in Sec.  94.8(a)(2) upon determining ASF 
exists in the region, based on reports APHIS receives of outbreaks of 
the disease 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, or upon 
determining that there is reason to believe the disease exists in the 
region. Section 94.8(a)(1) of the regulations specifies the criteria on 
which the Administrator bases the reason to believe ASF exists in a 
region. Section 94.8(b) prohibits the importation of pork and pork 
products from regions listed in accordance with Sec.  94.8, except if 
processed and treated in accordance with the provisions specified in 
that section or consigned to an APHIS-approved establishment for 
further processing. Section 96.2 restricts the importation of swine 
casings that originated in or were processed in a region where ASF 
exists, as listed under Sec.  94.8(a).
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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 January 14, 2022, the veterinary authorities of the Kingdom of 
Thailand reported to the WOAH an ASF occurrence in that country. On 
January 20, 2022, in response to the outbreak, APHIS added the Kingdom 
of Thailand to the list of regions where ASF exists or is reasonably 
believed to exist. As a result, pork and pork products from the Kingdom 
of Thailand, including casings, are subject to APHIS import 
restrictions designed to mitigate the risk of ASF introduction into the 
United States.
    On January 10, 2022, the veterinary authorities of the Republic of 
North Macedonia reported to the WOAH an ASF occurrence in that country. 
On February 3, 2022, in response to the outbreak, APHIS added the 
Republic of North Macedonia to the list of regions where ASF exists or 
is reasonably believed to exist. As a result, pork and pork products 
from the Republic of North Macedonia, including casings, are

[[Page 9854]]

subject to APHIS import restrictions designed to mitigate the risk of 
ASF introduction into the United States.
    With the publication of this notice, we are informing the public 
that we added: The Kingdom of Thailand to the list of regions APHIS 
considers to be affected with ASF, effective January 20, 2022, and the 
Republic of North Macedonia to the list of regions APHIS considers to 
be affected with ASF, effective February 3, 2022. 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 9th day of February 2023.
Anthony Shea,
Administrator, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.
[FR Doc. 2023-03134 Filed 2-14-23; 8:45 am]
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