[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 114 (Wednesday, June 12, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Page 49825]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-12829]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service

[Docket No. APHIS-2023-0028]


Swine Vesicular Disease Status of the Regions of Tuscany and 
Umbria, Italy

AGENCY: Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: We are advising the public that we are recognizing the regions 
of Tuscany and Umbria, Italy as being free of swine vesicular disease. 
This recognition is based on a risk evaluation we prepared in 
connection with this action and made available to the public for review 
and comment through a previous notice. As a result of this action, live 
swine, pork, and pork products may safely be imported into the United 
States from the regions of Tuscany and Umbria, Italy subject to 
conditions in the regulations. This notice also announces the 
availability of our final environmental assessment and finding of no 
significant impact.

DATES: This change in the SVD status of the regions of Tuscany and 
Umbria, Italy will be recognized on July 12, 2024.

ADDRESSES: You may read the documents referenced in this notice and the 
comments we received by going to www.regulations.gov, or in our reading 
room, which is located in Room 1620 of the USDA South Building, 14th 
Street and Independence Avenue SW, Washington, DC. Normal reading room 
hours are 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, except holidays. 
To be sure someone is there to help you, please call (202) 799-7039 
before coming.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dr. Chip Wells, Senior Veterinary 
Medical Officer, Regionalization Evaluation Services (RES), Strategy & 
Policy, Veterinary Services (VS), APHIS, 4700 River Road, Unit 38, 
Riverdale, MD 20737-1231; (301) 851-3317; 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 in order to prevent the 
introduction of various animal diseases, including swine vesicular 
disease (SVD). This is a dangerous and communicable disease of swine.
    Within part 94, Sec.  94.12 contains requirements governing the 
importation of pork or pork products from regions where SVD exists. 
Section 94.14 prohibits the importation of domestic swine which are 
moved from or transit any region in which SVD is known to exist.
    In accordance with Sec.  94.12(a)(1), the Animal and Plant Health 
Inspection Service (APHIS) maintains a web-based list of regions which 
the Agency considers free of SVD. Paragraph (a)(2) of this section 
states that APHIS will add a region to this list after it conducts an 
evaluation of the region and finds that SVD is not present.
    The regulations in Sec.  92.2 contain requirements for requesting 
the recognition of the animal health status of a region (as well as for 
the approval of the export of a particular type of animal or animal 
product to the United States from a foreign region). If, after review 
and evaluation of the information submitted in support of the request, 
APHIS believes the request can be safely granted, APHIS will make its 
evaluation available for public comment through a document published in 
the Federal Register. Following the close of the comment period, APHIS 
will review all comments received and will make a final determination 
regarding the request that will be detailed in another document 
published in the Federal Register.
    In accordance with that process, the Government of Italy requested 
that APHIS evaluate the SVD disease status of the regions of Tuscany 
and Umbria. Based on our evaluation, we determined that the regions of 
Tuscany and Umbria, Italy are free of SVD and that the surveillance, 
prevention, and control measures implemented by Italy are sufficient to 
minimize the likelihood of introducing SVD into the United States via 
imports of species or products susceptible to this disease.
    On August 23, 2023, we published in the Federal Register (88 FR 
57407-57408, Docket No. APHIS-2023-0028) a notice \1\ in which we 
announced the availability for review and comment of our evaluation of 
the SVD status of the regions of Tuscany and Umbria, Italy, as well as 
an environmental assessment (EA). We solicited comments on the notice 
for 60 days ending on October 23, 2023. We received five comments, all 
of which supported our proposed recognition of the regions of Tuscany 
and Umbria, Italy as free of SVD.
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    \1\ To view the notice, supporting documents, and comments we 
received, go to https://www.regulations.gov/document/APHIS-2023-0028-0001.
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    Therefore, based on the findings of our evaluation, we are 
announcing our determination to add the regions of Tuscany and Umbria, 
Italy to the list of regions declared free of SVD. This list is 
available on the APHIS website at https://www.aphis.usda.gov/aphis/ourfocus/animalhealth/animal-and-animal-product-import-information/animal-health-status-of-regions.

National Environmental Policy Act

    After reviewing and evaluating the comments received during the 
comment period, APHIS has prepared a final EA, which provides the 
public with documentation of APHIS' review and analysis of any 
potential environmental impacts associated with the recognition of the 
regions of Tuscany and Umbria, Italy as free of SVD. The final EA was 
prepared in accordance with: (1) The National Environmental Policy Act 
(NEPA), as amended (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.), (2) regulations of the 
Council on Environmental Quality for implementing the procedural 
provisions of NEPA (40 CFR parts 1500-1508), (3) USDA regulations 
implementing NEPA (7 CFR part 1b), and (4) APHIS' NEPA Implementing 
Procedures (7 CFR part 372). Based on our EA, the response to public 
comment, and other pertinent information, APHIS has reached a finding 
of no significant impact with regard to the recognition of the regions 
of Tuscany and Umbria, Italy as free of SVD.

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 7th day of June 2024.
Michael Watson,
Administrator, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.
[FR Doc. 2024-12829 Filed 6-11-24; 8:45 am]
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