Elimination of the Voluntary Trichinae Certification Program, 12293-12294 [2021-03772]
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12293
Proposed Rules
Federal Register
Vol. 86, No. 40
Wednesday, March 3, 2021
This section of the FEDERAL REGISTER
contains notices to the public of the proposed
issuance of rules and regulations. The
purpose of these notices is to give interested
persons an opportunity to participate in the
rule making prior to the adoption of the final
rules.
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Animal and Plant Health Inspection
Service
9 CFR Part 149
[Docket No. APHIS–2020–0065]
RIN 0579–AE59
Elimination of the Voluntary Trichinae
Certification Program
Animal and Plant Health
Inspection Service, USDA.
ACTION: Proposed rule.
AGENCY:
We are proposing to eliminate
the Animal and Plant Health Inspection
Service (APHIS) Voluntary Trichinae
Certification Program and remove the
regulations associated with the program.
This action would also notify the public
that APHIS will no longer maintain any
activity associated with the program,
such as training for qualified accredited
veterinarians, on-farm audits, or any
other administrative process associated
with program maintenance and support.
We are proposing to eliminate the
program because it generates little
producer participation. This action
would allow APHIS to direct APHIS
resources to areas of greater need.
DATES: We will consider all comments
that we receive on or before May 3,
2021.
SUMMARY:
You may submit comments
by either of the following methods:
• Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to
www.regulations.gov. Enter APHIS–
2020–0065 in the Search field. Select
the Documents tab, then select the
Comment button in the list of
documents.
• Postal Mail/Commercial Delivery:
Send your comment to Docket No.
APHIS–2020–0065, Regulatory Analysis
and Development, PPD, APHIS, Station
3A–03.8, 4700 River Road, Unit 118,
Riverdale, MD 20737–1238.
Supporting documents and any
comments we receive on this docket
may be viewed at regulations.gov or in
jbell on DSKJLSW7X2PROD with PROPOSALS
ADDRESSES:
VerDate Sep<11>2014
16:34 Mar 02, 2021
Jkt 253001
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.
Marı´a Celia Antognoli, Swine Health
Senior Staff Officer, Aquaculture,
Swine, Equine and Poultry Health
Center, Strategy and Policy, VS, APHIS,
2150 Centre Ave., Bldg. B, Fort Collins,
CO 80526–8117; (970) 494–7304;
celia.antognoli@usda.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background
Trichinella are parasitic nematodes
(roundworms) that are found in many
warm-blooded carnivores and
omnivores, including swine. There are
eight known species of Trichinella
nematodes: Trichinella britovi,
Trichinella murrelli, Trichinella nativa,
Trichinella nelsoni, Trichinella papuae,
Trichinella pseudospiralis, Trichinella
spiralis, and Trichinella zimbabwensis.
Trichinae is a generic term that refers to
all species of Trichinella.
In a final rule 1 published in the
Federal Register on October 10, 2008
(73 FR 60463–60488; Docket No.
APHIS–2006–0089), we established
regulations for the Voluntary Trichinae
Certification Program by adding 9 CFR
part 149. These regulations provide for
the certification of pork production sites
that follow certain prescribed
management practices that reduce,
eliminate, or avoid the risk of exposure
of swine to Trichinella spp.
Participation in the program is
voluntary. As stated in § 149.2, a
producer’s initial enrollment and
continued participation in the Trichinae
Certification Program requires that the
producer adhere to all of the good
production practices set out in the
regulations, as confirmed by periodic
site audits, and comply with other
recordkeeping and program
requirements provided in part 149.
Producer participation in this
voluntary program has decreased since
the program began. Only two producers
re-enrolled in the past 3 years. The lack
1 To view the final rule and supporting
documents, go to https://www.regulations.gov/
#!docketDetail;D=APHIS-2006-0089.
PO 00000
Frm 00001
Fmt 4702
Sfmt 4702
of producer interest and involvement
has become problematic for a number of
reasons. Maintaining the program places
demands on limited Animal and Plant
Health Inspection Service (APHIS)
funding and human resources that could
be better directed elsewhere. In
addition, the existence of a program that
producers have little interest in has had
trade implications. Trading partners
have questioned our ability to certify
freedom of trichinae in exported
products, given that the vast majority of
the products are not produced under the
auspices of the Trichinae Certification
Program.
We are therefore proposing to
eliminate the program by removing part
149 from the regulations. Eliminating
this program should benefit the swine
industry by reducing possible confusion
about the trichinae-free status of
exported products. APHIS would also
no longer incur the costs associated
with program administration and
payments to auditors.
Executive Order 12866 and Regulatory
Flexibility Act
This proposed rule has been
determined to be not significant for the
purposes of Executive Order 12866 and,
therefore, has not been reviewed by the
Office of Management and Budget.
In accordance with the Regulatory
Flexibility Act, we have analyzed the
potential economic effects of this action
on small entities. The analysis is
summarized below. Copies of the full
analysis are available by contacting the
person listed under FOR FURTHER
INFORMATION CONTACT or on the
Regulations.gov website (see ADDRESSES
above for instructions for accessing
Regulations.gov).
APHIS is proposing to eliminate the
Voluntary Trichinae Certification
Program and remove its associated
regulations from title 9 of the Code of
Federal Regulations.
Producer participation in the
Voluntary Trichinae Certification
program has decreased significantly
since this voluntary program began in
2007. Only two producers with 23 audit
sites re-enrolled in the past 3 years.
Continuation of the voluntary program,
given the lack of producer participation,
is difficult to justify. Furthermore, a
voluntary certification program that
does not attract producer participation
could negatively affect APHIS’ and the
pork industry’s credibility, especially
E:\FR\FM\03MRP1.SGM
03MRP1
12294
Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 40 / Wednesday, March 3, 2021 / Proposed Rules
jbell on DSKJLSW7X2PROD with PROPOSALS
during trade negotiations. Minimal
program participation can lead trading
partners to question APHIS’ ability to
certify exported products as trichinaefree, even though certification is not a
requirement for U.S. pork exportation.
Preserving APHIS’ credibility is
crucial in supporting the U.S. pork
industry and its exports, which have
increased substantially in recent years.
Since 2007, U.S. pork exports have more
than doubled in value (110 percent
increase) and in quantity (109 percent
increase).
The Small Business Administration
(SBA) small business size standard for
hog and pig farming is annual revenue
of not more than $1 million. According
to the 2017 Agricultural Census, 64,871
hog and pig farms sold over 235 million
hogs and pigs with total sales of $26.3
billion in 2017. Average annual sales
per farm was 3,267 head valued at
$404,907, well below the SBA smallentity standard.
When the census data are divided into
two categories—the largest producers,
with 5,000 or more hogs and pigs sold,
and the remaining farms—the
prevalence of small-scale producers
becomes clear. Farms with fewer than
5,000 hogs and pigs sold accounted for
57,084 farms (88 percent of the total).
However, the number and value of hogs
and pigs sold by these farms, 15,157,702
head valued at $2.4 billion, represent
only 6 percent and 9 percent,
respectively, of total sales. The average
number and value of hogs and pigs sold
per farm in 2017 by these smaller farms
was 266 head valued at $42,078.
Clearly, hog and pig farms are
predominantly small.
Because the Voluntary Trichinae
Certification Program did not progress
beyond the pilot stage, the participating
producers have not borne program costs.
Under these circumstances, the
Administrator of the Animal and Plant
Health Inspection Service has
determined that this action would not
have a significant economic impact on
a substantial number of small entities.
Executive Order 12372
This program/activity is listed in the
Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance
under No. 10.025 and is subject to
Executive Order 12372, which requires
intergovernmental consultation with
State and local officials. (See 2 CFR
chapter IV.)
Executive Order 12988
This proposed rule has been reviewed
under Executive Order 12988, Civil
Justice Reform. If this proposed rule is
adopted: (1) State and local laws and
regulations will not be preempted; (2)
VerDate Sep<11>2014
16:34 Mar 02, 2021
Jkt 253001
no retroactive effect will be given to this
rule; and (3) administrative proceedings
will not be required before parties may
file suit in court challenging this rule.
Paperwork Reduction Act
This proposed rule contains no new
information collection or recordkeeping
requirements under the Paperwork
Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. 3501
et seq.) and will reduce those currently
approved by the Office of Management
and Budget under control number 0579–
0323.
List of Subjects in 9 CFR Part 149
Animal diseases, Laboratories, Meat
and meat products, Meat inspection,
Reporting and recordkeeping
requirements, Swine.
Accordingly, for the reasons stated in
the preamble, and under the authority of
7 U.S.C. 8301 et seq., the Animal and
Plant Health Inspection Service is
proposing to amend 9 CFR chapter I by
removing part 149.
Done in Washington, DC, this 18th day of
February, 2021.
Michael Watson,
Acting Administrator, Animal and Plant
Health Inspection Service.
[FR Doc. 2021–03772 Filed 3–2–21; 8:45 am]
Examining the AD Docket
BILLING CODE 3410–34–P
DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Federal Aviation Administration
14 CFR Part 39
[Docket No. FAA–2021–0126; Project
Identifier MCAI–2020–00266–R]
RIN 2120–AA64
Airworthiness Directives; Airbus
Helicopters Deutschland GmbH (AHD)
Helicopters
Federal Aviation
Administration (FAA), DOT.
ACTION: Notice of proposed rulemaking
(NPRM).
AGENCY:
The FAA proposes to adopt a
new airworthiness directive (AD) for
Airbus Helicopters Deutschland GmbH
(AHD) Model MBB–BK 117 D–2
helicopters. This proposed AD was
prompted by a report of a broken
Titanium (Ti) bolt. This proposed AD
would require removing certain Ti-bolts
from service and prohibit installing
these Ti-bolts in a critical area. The FAA
is proposing this AD to address the
unsafe condition on these products.
DATES: The FAA must receive comments
on this proposed AD by April 19, 2021.
SUMMARY:
PO 00000
Frm 00002
Fmt 4702
You may send comments,
using the procedures found in 14 CFR
11.43 and 11.45, by any of the following
methods:
• Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to
https://www.regulations.gov. Follow the
instructions for submitting comments.
• Fax: (202) 493–2251.
• Mail: U.S. Department of
Transportation, Docket Operations,
M–30, West Building Ground Floor,
Room W12–140, 1200 New Jersey
Avenue SE, Washington, DC 20590–
0001.
• Hand Delivery: Deliver to Mail
address between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m.,
Monday through Friday, except Federal
holidays.
For service information identified in
this NPRM, contact Airbus Helicopters,
2701 N Forum Drive, Grand Prairie, TX
75052; telephone (972) 641–0000 or
(800) 232–0323; fax (972) 641–3775; or
at https://www.airbus.com/helicopters/
services/technical-support.html. You
may view the referenced service
information at the FAA, Office of the
Regional Counsel, Southwest Region,
10101 Hillwood Pkwy., Room 6N–321,
Fort Worth, TX 76177. For information
on the availability of this material at the
FAA, call (817) 222–5110.
ADDRESSES:
Sfmt 4702
You may examine the AD docket at
https://www.regulations.gov by
searching for and locating Docket No.
FAA–2021–0126; or in person at Docket
Operations between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m.,
Monday through Friday, except Federal
holidays. The AD docket contains this
NPRM, the European Union Aviation
Safety Agency (EASA) AD, any
comments received, and other
information. The street address for
Docket Operations is listed above.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Matt
Fuller, AD Program Manager, General
Aviation & Rotorcraft Unit,
Airworthiness Products Section,
Operational Safety Branch, FAA, 10101
Hillwood Pkwy., Fort Worth, TX 76177;
telephone (817) 222–5110; email
matthew.fuller@faa.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Comments Invited
The FAA invites you to send any
written relevant data, views, or
arguments about this proposal. Send
your comments to an address listed
under ADDRESSES. Include ‘‘Docket No.
FAA–2021–0126; Project Identifier
MCAI–2020–00266–R’’ at the beginning
of your comments. The most helpful
comments reference a specific portion of
the proposal, explain the reason for any
recommended change, and include
E:\FR\FM\03MRP1.SGM
03MRP1
Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 40 (Wednesday, March 3, 2021)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 12293-12294]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-03772]
========================================================================
Proposed Rules
Federal Register
________________________________________________________________________
This section of the FEDERAL REGISTER contains notices to the public of
the proposed issuance of rules and regulations. The purpose of these
notices is to give interested persons an opportunity to participate in
the rule making prior to the adoption of the final rules.
========================================================================
Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 40 / Wednesday, March 3, 2021 /
Proposed Rules
[[Page 12293]]
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service
9 CFR Part 149
[Docket No. APHIS-2020-0065]
RIN 0579-AE59
Elimination of the Voluntary Trichinae Certification Program
AGENCY: Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, USDA.
ACTION: Proposed rule.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: We are proposing to eliminate the Animal and Plant Health
Inspection Service (APHIS) Voluntary Trichinae Certification Program
and remove the regulations associated with the program. This action
would also notify the public that APHIS will no longer maintain any
activity associated with the program, such as training for qualified
accredited veterinarians, on-farm audits, or any other administrative
process associated with program maintenance and support. We are
proposing to eliminate the program because it generates little producer
participation. This action would allow APHIS to direct APHIS resources
to areas of greater need.
DATES: We will consider all comments that we receive on or before May
3, 2021.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments by either of the following methods:
Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to www.regulations.gov.
Enter APHIS-2020-0065 in the Search field. Select the Documents tab,
then select the Comment button in the list of documents.
Postal Mail/Commercial Delivery: Send your comment to
Docket No. APHIS-2020-0065, Regulatory Analysis and Development, PPD,
APHIS, Station 3A-03.8, 4700 River Road, Unit 118, Riverdale, MD 20737-
1238.
Supporting documents and any comments we receive on this docket may
be viewed at 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. Mar[iacute]a Celia Antognoli,
Swine Health Senior Staff Officer, Aquaculture, Swine, Equine and
Poultry Health Center, Strategy and Policy, VS, APHIS, 2150 Centre
Ave., Bldg. B, Fort Collins, CO 80526-8117; (970) 494-7304;
[email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background
Trichinella are parasitic nematodes (roundworms) that are found in
many warm-blooded carnivores and omnivores, including swine. There are
eight known species of Trichinella nematodes: Trichinella britovi,
Trichinella murrelli, Trichinella nativa, Trichinella nelsoni,
Trichinella papuae, Trichinella pseudospiralis, Trichinella spiralis,
and Trichinella zimbabwensis. Trichinae is a generic term that refers
to all species of Trichinella.
In a final rule \1\ published in the Federal Register on October
10, 2008 (73 FR 60463-60488; Docket No. APHIS-2006-0089), we
established regulations for the Voluntary Trichinae Certification
Program by adding 9 CFR part 149. These regulations provide for the
certification of pork production sites that follow certain prescribed
management practices that reduce, eliminate, or avoid the risk of
exposure of swine to Trichinella spp. Participation in the program is
voluntary. As stated in Sec. 149.2, a producer's initial enrollment
and continued participation in the Trichinae Certification Program
requires that the producer adhere to all of the good production
practices set out in the regulations, as confirmed by periodic site
audits, and comply with other recordkeeping and program requirements
provided in part 149.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\ To view the final rule and supporting documents, go to
https://www.regulations.gov/#!docketDetail;D=APHIS-2006-0089.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Producer participation in this voluntary program has decreased
since the program began. Only two producers re-enrolled in the past 3
years. The lack of producer interest and involvement has become
problematic for a number of reasons. Maintaining the program places
demands on limited Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS)
funding and human resources that could be better directed elsewhere. In
addition, the existence of a program that producers have little
interest in has had trade implications. Trading partners have
questioned our ability to certify freedom of trichinae in exported
products, given that the vast majority of the products are not produced
under the auspices of the Trichinae Certification Program.
We are therefore proposing to eliminate the program by removing
part 149 from the regulations. Eliminating this program should benefit
the swine industry by reducing possible confusion about the trichinae-
free status of exported products. APHIS would also no longer incur the
costs associated with program administration and payments to auditors.
Executive Order 12866 and Regulatory Flexibility Act
This proposed rule has been determined to be not significant for
the purposes of Executive Order 12866 and, therefore, has not been
reviewed by the Office of Management and Budget.
In accordance with the Regulatory Flexibility Act, we have analyzed
the potential economic effects of this action on small entities. The
analysis is summarized below. Copies of the full analysis are available
by contacting the person listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT
or on the Regulations.gov website (see ADDRESSES above for instructions
for accessing Regulations.gov).
APHIS is proposing to eliminate the Voluntary Trichinae
Certification Program and remove its associated regulations from title
9 of the Code of Federal Regulations.
Producer participation in the Voluntary Trichinae Certification
program has decreased significantly since this voluntary program began
in 2007. Only two producers with 23 audit sites re-enrolled in the past
3 years. Continuation of the voluntary program, given the lack of
producer participation, is difficult to justify. Furthermore, a
voluntary certification program that does not attract producer
participation could negatively affect APHIS' and the pork industry's
credibility, especially
[[Page 12294]]
during trade negotiations. Minimal program participation can lead
trading partners to question APHIS' ability to certify exported
products as trichinae-free, even though certification is not a
requirement for U.S. pork exportation.
Preserving APHIS' credibility is crucial in supporting the U.S.
pork industry and its exports, which have increased substantially in
recent years. Since 2007, U.S. pork exports have more than doubled in
value (110 percent increase) and in quantity (109 percent increase).
The Small Business Administration (SBA) small business size
standard for hog and pig farming is annual revenue of not more than $1
million. According to the 2017 Agricultural Census, 64,871 hog and pig
farms sold over 235 million hogs and pigs with total sales of $26.3
billion in 2017. Average annual sales per farm was 3,267 head valued at
$404,907, well below the SBA small-entity standard.
When the census data are divided into two categories--the largest
producers, with 5,000 or more hogs and pigs sold, and the remaining
farms--the prevalence of small-scale producers becomes clear. Farms
with fewer than 5,000 hogs and pigs sold accounted for 57,084 farms (88
percent of the total). However, the number and value of hogs and pigs
sold by these farms, 15,157,702 head valued at $2.4 billion, represent
only 6 percent and 9 percent, respectively, of total sales. The average
number and value of hogs and pigs sold per farm in 2017 by these
smaller farms was 266 head valued at $42,078. Clearly, hog and pig
farms are predominantly small.
Because the Voluntary Trichinae Certification Program did not
progress beyond the pilot stage, the participating producers have not
borne program costs.
Under these circumstances, the Administrator of the Animal and
Plant Health Inspection Service has determined that this action would
not have a significant economic impact on a substantial number of small
entities.
Executive Order 12372
This program/activity is listed in the Catalog of Federal Domestic
Assistance under No. 10.025 and is subject to Executive Order 12372,
which requires intergovernmental consultation with State and local
officials. (See 2 CFR chapter IV.)
Executive Order 12988
This proposed rule has been reviewed under Executive Order 12988,
Civil Justice Reform. If this proposed rule is adopted: (1) State and
local laws and regulations will not be preempted; (2) no retroactive
effect will be given to this rule; and (3) administrative proceedings
will not be required before parties may file suit in court challenging
this rule.
Paperwork Reduction Act
This proposed rule contains no new information collection or
recordkeeping requirements under the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995
(44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.) and will reduce those currently approved by
the Office of Management and Budget under control number 0579-0323.
List of Subjects in 9 CFR Part 149
Animal diseases, Laboratories, Meat and meat products, Meat
inspection, Reporting and recordkeeping requirements, Swine.
Accordingly, for the reasons stated in the preamble, and under the
authority of 7 U.S.C. 8301 et seq., the Animal and Plant Health
Inspection Service is proposing to amend 9 CFR chapter I by removing
part 149.
Done in Washington, DC, this 18th day of February, 2021.
Michael Watson,
Acting Administrator, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.
[FR Doc. 2021-03772 Filed 3-2-21; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-34-P