[Federal Register Volume 91, Number 15 (Friday, January 23, 2026)]
[Notices]
[Pages 2896-2897]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2026-01240]
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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service
[Docket No. APHIS-2025-0868]
Revision to and Extension of Approval of an Information
Collection; Control of Chronic Wasting Disease
AGENCY: Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, USDA.
ACTION: Revision to and extension of approval of an information
collection; comment request.
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SUMMARY: In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this
notice announces the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service's
intention to request a revision to and extension of approval of an
information collection associated with the regulations for the control
of chronic wasting disease in farmed and captive cervid herds.
DATES: We will consider all comments that we receive on or before March
24, 2026.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments by either of the following methods:
Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to http://www.regulations.gov. Enter APHIS-2025-0868 in the Search field. Select
the Documents tab, then select the Comment button in the list of
documents.
Postal Mail/Commercial Delivery: Please send one copy of
your comment to Docket No. APHIS-2025-0868, Regulatory Analysis and
Development, PPD, APHIS, 5601 Sunnyside Ave., #AP760, Beltsville, MD
20705.
Supporting documents and any comments we receive on this docket may
be viewed at http://www.regulations.gov or in our reading room, which
is 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.
[[Page 2897]]
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For information on the regulations
related to the control of chronic wasting disease in farmed or captive
cervid herds, contact Dr. Tracy Nichols, Ruminant Health Center (Cervid
Health), Strategy and Policy, Veterinary Services, 2150 Centre Ave.,
Building B, MS 2E6, Fort Collins, CO 80526-8117; (970) 494-7380;
[email protected]. For more information on the information
collection reporting process, contact Ms. Sheniqua Harris, APHIS'
Paperwork Reduction Act Coordinator, at (301) 851-2528 or email
[email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Title: Control of Chronic Wasting Disease.
OMB Control Number: 0579-0189.
Type of Request: Revision to and extension of approval of an
information collection.
Abstract: Under the Animal Health Protection Act (7 U.S.C. 8301 et
seq.), the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) of the
U.S. Department of Agriculture is authorized, among other things, to
protect the health of the United States' livestock and poultry
populations by preventing the introduction and interstate spread of
serious diseases and pests of livestock and for eradicating such
diseases from the United States when feasible.
Chronic wasting disease (CWD) is a transmissible spongiform
encephalopathy of cervids (elk, deer, and moose) typified by chronic
weight loss leading to death. The presence of CWD in cervids causes
significant economic and market losses to U.S. producers. In an effort
to control and limit the spread of this disease in the United States,
APHIS created a cooperative, voluntary Federal-State-private sector CWD
Herd Certification Program. The program is designed to identify farmed
or captive herds infected with CWD and provide for the management of
these herds in a way that will reduce the risk of spreading CWD. APHIS'
Veterinary Services manages the CWD Herd Certification Program.
Owners of farmed or captive elk, deer, and moose herds who choose
to participate in the Herd Certification Program need to follow program
requirements for animal identification, testing, herd management, and
movement of animals into and from herds. The regulations for this
program are in 9 CFR part 55. APHIS also established requirements in 9
CFR part 81 for the interstate movement of elk, deer, and moose to
reduce movement that could pose a risk of spreading CWD.
The Herd Certification Program entails the use of information
collection activities such as an APHIS Veterinary Services State
application for chronic wasting disease herd certification program
approval, renewal, or reinstatement; memoranda of understanding between
APHIS and participating States; herd or premises plans; annual reports;
State reviews; epidemiological investigations and reporting of out-of-
State traces to affected States; reports of cervid suspects, escapes,
disappearances, and deaths; inspections and inventories; a letter to
appeal suspension, cancellation, or change in status; farmed, captive,
and wild cervid identification, interstate certificates of veterinary
inspection; surveillance data; inspection reports; cooperative
agreements; laboratory worksheets; and recordkeeping.
We are asking the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to approve
our use of these information collection activities, as described, for
an additional 3 years. APHIS has amended this information collection by
decreasing the number of respondents responding resulting in a decrease
of annual responses and total burden hours. In addition, APHIS has
removed the following activities from this information collection:
Lab Submission Reports/Testing (VS Form 10-4: Specimen
Submission) (moved to another information collection).
Appraisal, Destruction, and Payment of Indemnity (VS Form
1-23: Appraisal and Indemnity Claim) (moved to another information
collection).
CWD Inspection Report for Exemption on Testing Cervids
Moved from an HCP Breeding Herd to a Hunting Preserve Under the Same
Ownership.
The purpose of this notice is to solicit comments from the public
(as well as affected agencies) concerning our information collection.
These comments will help us:
(1) Evaluate whether the collection of information is necessary for
the proper performance of the functions of the Agency, including
whether the information will have practical utility;
(2) Evaluate the accuracy of our estimate of the burden of the
collection of information, including the validity of the methodology
and assumptions used;
(3) Enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to
be collected; and
(4) Minimize the burden of the collection of information on those
who are to respond, through use, as appropriate, of automated,
electronic, mechanical, and other collection technologies; e.g.,
permitting electronic submission of responses.
Estimate of burden: The public burden for this collection of
information is estimated to average 3.24 hours per response.
Respondents: State animal health officials, laboratories,
accredited veterinarians, and businesses managing farmed, captured, or
wild cervid herds.
Estimated annual number of respondents: 1,588.
Estimated annual number of responses per respondent: 32.
Estimated annual number of responses: 50,156.
Estimated total annual burden on respondents: 162,510 hours. (Due
to averaging, the total annual burden hours may not equal the product
of the annual number of responses multiplied by the reporting burden
per response.)
All responses to this notice will be summarized and included in the
request for OMB approval. All comments will also become a matter of
public record.
Done in Washington, DC, this 13th day of January 2026.
Michael Watson,
Administrator, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.
[FR Doc. 2026-01240 Filed 1-22-26; 8:45 am]
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