[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 204 (Tuesday, October 24, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 72988-72989]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-23483]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service

[Docket No. APHIS-2022-0073]


Addition of the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal to the List 
of Regions Affected by 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 have added the Federal 
Democratic Republic of Nepal to the Animal and Plant Health Inspection 
Service (APHIS) list maintained on the APHIS website of regions 
considered to be affected with African swine fever (ASF). We have taken 
this action because of the confirmation of ASF in the Federal 
Democratic Republic of Nepal.

DATES: The Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal was added to the APHIS 
list of regions considered affected with ASF effective May 23, 2022.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dr. Amber Kerk, Staff Officer, 
Regionalization Evaluation Services, Strategy and Policy, Veterinary 
Services, APHIS, 920 Main Campus Drive, Venture II, 3rd Floor, Raleigh, 
NC 27606; phone: (608) 662-0625; 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 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-

[[Page 72989]]

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 or having reason to believe the disease 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; 
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 May 18, 2022, the veterinary authorities of the Federal 
Democratic Republic of Nepal reported to WOAH the occurrence of ASF in 
that country. In response to that report, on May 23, 2022, APHIS added 
the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal to the list of regions where 
ASF exists or the Administrator has reason to believe that ASF exists, 
in compliance with Sec.  94.8(a)(3). This notice serves as an official 
record and public notification of that action.
    As a result, pork and pork products from Nepal, including casings, 
are subject to APHIS import restrictions designed to mitigate the risk 
of ASF introduction into the United States.
    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 17th day of October 2023.
Michael Watson,
Acting Administrator, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.
[FR Doc. 2023-23483 Filed 10-23-23; 8:45 am]
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