[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 64 (Tuesday, April 2, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 22663-22664]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-06942]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service

[Docket No. APHIS-2023-0087]


Addition of Kosovo and Mozambique 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 have added Kosovo and 
Mozambique 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 Kosovo 
or Mozambique, as a result of the confirmation of HPAI in these 
countries.

DATES: Kosovo and Mozambique were added to the list of regions APHIS 
considers to be affected with HPAI,

[[Page 22664]]

effective respectively on September 29, 2023, and October 20, 2023.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For the Kosovo listing, contact Dr. 
Heather Sriranganathan, APHIS Veterinary Services, Regionalization 
Evaluation Services, 4700 River Road, Riverdale, MD 20737; phone (717) 
818-3582; email: [email protected].
    For the Mozambique listing, contact Dr. La'Toya Lane, APHIS 
Veterinary 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 August 21, 2023, APHIS became aware of a European Food Safety 
Authority document reporting outbreaks of HPAI in Kosovo in 2022. On 
September 25, 2023, the Kosovo Food and Veterinary Authority confirmed 
the detection of HPAI in 2021 and 2022. In response to these reports, 
on September 29, 2023, APHIS added Kosovo to the list of regions where 
HPAI exists or is considered to exist, in compliance with Sec.  
94.6(a)(2)(ii). On that same date, APHIS issued an import alert 
notifying stakeholders that APHIS imposed restrictions on the 
importation of poultry, commercial birds, ratites, avian hatching eggs, 
unprocessed avian products and byproducts, and certain fresh poultry 
commodities originating from or transiting Kosovo to mitigate risk of 
HPAI introduction in the United States.
    On October 17, 2023, the veterinary authorities of Mozambique 
reported to the WOAH the occurrence of HPAI in that country. In 
response to that report, on October 20, 2023, after confirming that 
HPAI occurred in commercial birds and poultry, APHIS added Mozambique 
to the list of regions where HPAI exists or is considered to exist, in 
compliance with Sec.  94.6(a)(2)(ii). On that same day, APHIS issued an 
import alert notifying stakeholders that APHIS imposed restrictions on 
the importation of poultry, commercial birds, ratites, avian hatching 
eggs, unprocessed avian products and byproducts, and certain fresh 
poultry commodities originating from or transiting Mozambique to 
mitigate risk of HPAI introduction into the United States.
    With the publication of this notice, we are informing the public 
that we have added Kosovo to the list of regions APHIS considers 
affected with HPAI of any subtype, effective September 29, 2023; and 
Mozambique to the list of regions APHIS considers affected with HPAI of 
any subtype, effective October 20, 2023. This notice serves as an 
official record and public notification of these actions.
    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 26th day of March 2024.
Michael Watson,
Administrator, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.
[FR Doc. 2024-06942 Filed 4-1-24; 8:45 am]
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