[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 162 (Wednesday, August 23, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 57408-57409]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-18073]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service

[Docket No. APHIS-2023-0044]


Addition of the Republic of Ecuador and the Republic of Peru 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 Republic of 
Ecuador and the Republic of Peru 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 Republic of Ecuador and the Republic of Peru, as a 
result of the confirmation of HPAI in these countries.

DATES: The Republic of Ecuador and the Republic of Peru were added to 
the list of regions APHIS considers to be affected with HPAI, effective 
respectively on December 3, 2022, and December 12, 2022.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dr. La'Toya Lane, APHIS Veterinary

[[Page 57409]]

Services, Regionalization Evaluation Services, 920 Main Campus Drive, 
Suite 300, Raleigh, NC 27606; phone: (301) 550-1671; 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; 
also, 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 November 28, 2022, the veterinary authorities of the Republic of 
Ecuador reported to the WOAH the occurrence of HPAI in that country. On 
December 3, 2022, after confirming that HPAI occurred in commercial 
birds and poultry, APHIS added the Republic of Ecuador to the list of 
regions where HPAI exists. On that same day, APHIS issued an import 
alert notifying stakeholders that APHIS imposed import restrictions on 
poultry, commercial birds, ratites, avian hatching eggs, unprocessed 
avian products and byproducts, and certain fresh poultry commodities 
from the Republic of Ecuador to mitigate risk of HPAI introduction into 
the United States.
    On December 2, 2022, the veterinary authorities of the Republic of 
Peru reported to the WOAH the occurrence of HPAI in that country. On 
December 12, 2022, after confirming that the HPAI occurred in 
commercial birds or poultry, APHIS added the Republic of Peru to the 
list of regions where HPAI exists. On that same day, APHIS issued an 
import alert notifying stakeholders that APHIS imposed import 
restrictions on poultry, commercial birds, ratites, avian hatching 
eggs, unprocessed avian products and byproducts, and certain fresh 
poultry commodities from the Republic of Peru 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 Republic of Ecuador to the list of regions APHIS 
considers affected with HPAI of any subtype, effective December 3, 
2022; and the Republic of Peru to the list of regions APHIS considers 
affected with HPAI of any subtype, effective December 12, 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 15th day of August 2023.
Michael Watson,
Acting Administrator, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.
[FR Doc. 2023-18073 Filed 8-22-23; 8:45 am]
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