[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 132 (Wednesday, July 12, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 44252-44253]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-14689]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service

[Docket No. APHIS-2023-0042]


Chronic Wasting Disease Herd Certification Program Standards; 
Virtual Public Meetings

AGENCY: Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, Department of 
Agriculture (USDA).

ACTION: Notice of public meetings.

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SUMMARY: We are notifying the public that the Animal and Plant Health 
Inspection Service will hold five virtual listening sessions to receive 
public input on topics related to updates and improvements to the 
Chronic Wasting Disease Herd Certification Program Standards.

DATES: The virtual listening sessions will be held via webinar on July 
27, 2023, at 12 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time (EDT); August 10, 2023, at 3 
p.m. EDT; August 17, 2023, at 2 p.m. EDT; August 24, 2023, at 1 p.m. 
EDT; and September 14, 2023, at 3 p.m. EDT.

ADDRESSES: These will be virtual listening sessions. Participants will 
be required to register in advance to participate in the listening 
sessions. For more information about registration, providing comments, 
and accessibility for the meetings, see the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION 
section of this notice.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dr. Hillary A. McManama, Veterinary 
Medical Officer, Cervid Health Staff, Strategy and Policy, Veterinary 
Services, APHIS; c/o Ms. Melanie Rouse, 4700 River Road, Unit 43, 
Riverdale, MD 20737; email: [email protected]; phone: (608) 381-2529.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

    Chronic wasting disease (CWD) is a transmissible spongiform 
encephalopathy of cervids (members of Cervidae, the deer family). 
Species currently known to be susceptible to CWD include elk, mule 
deer, moose, white-tailed deer, sika deer, muntjac, reindeer, and 
black-tailed deer.
    In 2014, the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) 
implemented the National CWD Herd Certification Program (HCP), a 
voluntary Federal-State-industry cooperative program administered by 
APHIS and implemented by participating States. States and herd owners 
choosing to participate must comply with the provisions of 9 CFR parts 
55 and 81 (referred to below as the regulations),

[[Page 44253]]

which include requirements for animal identification, interstate 
movement, fencing, recordkeeping, herd inspections and inventories, 
animal mortality testing, and response to any findings of CWD-exposed, 
-suspect, or -positive herds. APHIS monitors the approved State HCPs to 
ensure consistency with Federal standards by means of annual State 
reporting and onsite and/or virtual program reviews as needed. With 
each year of successful surveillance, participating herds will advance 
in status. After 5 years of compliance with the program requirements 
with no evidence of CWD, APHIS will certify the herd as being low risk 
for CWD. Only captive cervids (deer, elk, and moose) from enrolled 
herds certified as low risk for CWD may move interstate. APHIS has 
issued a CWD Program Standards document \1\ to provide detailed 
guidance on how to meet the requirements of the regulations referred to 
above.
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    \1\ https://www.aphis.usda.gov/animal_health/animal_diseases/cwd/downloads/cwd-program-standards.pdf.
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    Section 603 of the Fiscal Year 2023 Omnibus Appropriations Bill 
enacted the Chronic Wasting Disease Research and Management Act (H.R. 
5608, the CWD Research and Management Act). Under the terms of the CWD 
Research and Management Act, APHIS must ``solicit public feedback on 
potential updates and improvements'' to the Chronic Wasting Disease 
Herd Certification Program Standards.
    Pursuant to the CWD Research and Management Act, APHIS is 
publishing this notice soliciting public feedback on potential updates 
and improvements to the CWD Program Standards. Specifically, we are 
scheduling a series of virtual listening sessions to gather information 
that will help us in evaluating and potentially amending the program 
standards consistent with the CWD Research and Management Act. The 
listening sessions will be conducted virtually, by webinar.
    Registration: The listening sessions will be held on July 27, 2023, 
at 12 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time (EDT); August 10, 2023, at 3 p.m. EDT; 
August 17, 2023, at 2 p.m. EDT; August 24, 2023, at 1 p.m. EDT; and 
September 14, 2023, at 3 p.m. EDT.
    Topics for discussion on July 27th, at 12 p.m. EDT will be:
     The overall direction of the program.
     Increasing herd certification program participation.
     Biosecurity.
     Prevention of contact between farmed and wild cervids.
     Prevention of CWD not including genetics.
    Topics for discussion on August 10th, at 3 p.m. EDT will be:
     Inspection and inventory, including:
    [cir] animal identification (ID);
    [cir] electronic ID; and
    [cir] annual and physical inspections.
    Topics for discussion on August 17th, at 2 p.m. EDT will be:
     Surveillance.
     Use of ante-mortem tests.
     Postmortem sampling.
     Penalties for HCP non-compliance.
    Topic for discussion on August 24th, at 1 p.m. EDT will be:
     Disease response, including use of predictive genetics to 
manage CWD positive, suspect and exposed herds.
    Topics for discussion on September 14th, at 3 p.m. EDT will be:
     Indemnity approach, including role of indemnity in 
predictive genetics herd management; and
     Use of predictive genetics to prevent CWD within the HCP.
    Topics needing additional discussion may be added to a listening 
session and will be announced at least 2 weeks prior to the session on 
the Cervid Health Program website at https://www.aphis.usda.gov/aphis/ourfocus/animalhealth/animal-disease-information/cervid/cervids-cwd/cervids-voluntary-hcp.
    Participants will need to register in advance to participate in the 
listening sessions. The deadline to register to speak at the first 
listening session is July 20, 2023. The deadline to register for the 
remaining sessions will be one week prior to each session. Comments 
will be limited to a maximum of 3 to 5 minutes depending on the number 
of requests to speak. Registration instructions and updated session 
information can be accessed on the Cervid Health Program website.
    Public comment: You may provide written comments at the meetings by 
using the meeting chat function or file written comments before, 
during, or after the meetings by emailing or mailing to the Agency 
contact listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT. Written comments 
by attendees or other interested stakeholders will be welcomed for the 
public record up to close of business Monday, November 13, 2023. Please 
refer to Docket No. APHIS-2023-0042 when submitting your comments. We 
also encourage interested persons to subscribe to APHIS' Stakeholder 
Registry \2\ to receive updated information by email about the upcoming 
listening sessions.
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    \2\ To subscribe to the APHIS Stakeholder Registry, go to 
https://public.govdelivery.com/accounts/USDAAPHIS/subscriber/new.
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    Accessibility: If you require special accommodations, such as a 
sign language interpreter, please contact [email protected].

    Done in Washington, DC, this 5th day of July 2023.
Michael Watson,
Acting Administrator, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.
[FR Doc. 2023-14689 Filed 7-11-23; 8:45 am]
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