Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service 2021 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

We are advising the public that the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service has prepared a supplemental environmental assessment (EA) relative to a 2019 EA of an oral rabies vaccination (ORV) program in Maine, New Hampshire, New York, Ohio, Tennessee, Texas, Vermont, Virginia, and West Virginia. This supplement analyzes the proposed expanded use of ONRAB vaccine-baits throughout the ORV distribution zone in Pennsylvania in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Forest Service. We are making the supplemental EA available to the public for review and comment.

The Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008 amended the Lacey Act to provide, among other things, that importers submit a declaration at the time of importation for certain plants and plant products. Enforcement of the declaration requirement began on April 1, 2009, and products requiring a declaration are being phased-in. The purpose of this notice is to inform the public of a change in the date of implementation for Phase VI of the enforcement schedule.

We are reopening the comment period for our notice of intent to prepare an environmental impact statement regarding a request from Bayer seeking a determination of nonregulated status for maize developed using genetic engineering for dicamba, glufosinate, quizalofop, and 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid resistance with tissue- specific glyphosate resistance facilitating the production of hybrid maize seed. This action will allow interested persons additional time to prepare and submit comments.

We are advising the public of our preliminary concurrence with the World Organization for Animal Health's (OIE) bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) risk designation for Bolivia and the United Kingdom's zone of Jersey. The OIE recognizes this country and this zone as being of negligible risk for BSE. We are taking this action based on our review of information supporting the OIE's risk designation for Bolivia and the United Kingdom's zone of Jersey.

The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service issued a final rule on December 31, 2012, to establish regulations under which research facilities and dealers, exhibitors, intermediate handlers, and carriers must meet certain requirements for contingency planning and training of personnel. Implementation of the final rule was stayed on July 31, 2013, so that the agency could conduct additional review to further consider the impact of contingency plan requirements on regulated entities. Since that time, we have conducted such a review, and the 2021 Congressional Appropriations Act has required us to propose to lift the stay. We are therefore proposing to lift the stay and make minor revisions to the requirements in order to update compliance dates and clarify intent. The lifting of the stay and proposed revisions would better ensure that entities responsible for animals regulated under the Animal Welfare Act are prepared to safeguard the health and welfare of such animals in the event of possible emergencies or disasters.

We are advising the public that we removed Japan from the list of regions the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service recognizes as free of classical swine fever (CSF). This action follows the detection of CSF in Japan. This action is necessary in order to inform the public and to prevent the introduction of CSF into the United States.

We are advising the public that we have added Thailand to the list of regions that the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service considers to be affected with African horse sickness (AHS). We have taken this action because of confirmation of AHS in Thailand.

We are advising the public of our decision to add 26 taxa of plants for planting that are quarantine pests (weeds), all Myrtaceae taxa (when destined to Hawaii), and 43 other taxa of plants for planting that are hosts of 17 quarantine pests, to our lists of plants for planting whose importation is now not authorized pending pest risk analysis. A previous notice made datasheets available for public comment that listed the evidence we used to determine that the taxa are quarantine pests or hosts of quarantine pests. This notice responds to the comments we received and announces final versions of the datasheets.

Pursuant to the provisions of the Privacy Act of 1974 (5 U.S.C. 552a), and Office of Management and Budget Circular No. A-108, notice is given that the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is proposing to add a new system of records, entitled USDA/APHIS-23, Integrated Plant Health Information System (IPHIS). This system maintains records of activities conducted pursuant to APHIS' mission and responsibilities authorized by the Plant Protection Act (7 U.S.C. 7701 et seq.); the Honey Bee Act (7 U.S.C. 281 et seq.); and the Food Conservation and Energy Act 2008 (7 U.S.C. 8791 et seq.).

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 protection of endangered species of terrestrial plants and for procedures related to the forfeiture of plants or other property.

We are advising the public that we have added the Republic of Korea (South Korea) to the list of regions that the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Services considers to be affected with African swine fever (ASF). We have taken this action because of confirmation of ASF in the Republic of Korea.

We are advising the public that the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) plans to prepare an environmental impact statement (EIS) regarding a request from Bayer seeking a determination of nonregulated status for maize developed using genetic engineering for dicamba, glufosinate, quizalofop, and 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid resistance with tissue-specific glyphosate resistance facilitating the production of hybrid maize seed. APHIS is requesting public comment to help identify alternatives, and relevant information, studies, and/ or analyses APHIS should consider in the EIS.

We are reopening the comment period for a proposed rule to allow the importation of commercial avocados from continental Ecuador into the continental United States after taking a new pest into consideration and including additional phytosanitary measures. We are also notifying the public of the availability of a revised pest risk assessment and revised risk management document associated with this notice. This action will allow interested persons additional time to prepare and submit comments.

This notice advises the public of the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service's record of decision for the final environmental impact statement titled ``Revisions to USDA-APHIS 7 CFR part 340 Regulations Governing the Importation, Interstate Movement, and Environmental Release of Certain Genetically Engineered Organisms.''

We are advising the public that we have added India to the list of regions that the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service considers to be affected with African swine fever (ASF). We have taken this action because of confirmation of ASF in India.

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this notice announces the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service's intention to request approval of a new information collection associated with the National Animal Health Monitoring System's On-Farm Monitoring of Antimicrobial Use and Resistance in U.S. Broiler Production Study.

We are advising the public that we have prepared a pest risk analysis relative to the importation into the United States of sand pear (Pyrus pyrifolia var. culta) fruit from the Republic of Korea. Currently, sand pear fruit may be imported into the United States from the Republic of Korea under an Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service preclearance program or as non-precleared fruit into the port of Honolulu, HI. Based on the findings of our analysis, we are proposing to authorize imports of non-precleared sand pear fruit from the Republic of Korea into all U.S. ports as an alternative to the preclearance program. All sand pear fruit intended for importation into the United States from the Republic of Korea would be subject to a systems approach currently required for precleared fruit. We are making the pest risk analysis available to the public for review and comment.

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.

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.

We are advising the public that we are proposing to classify the State of Sonora, Mexico as Level 1 for brucellosis. This proposed recognition is based on an evaluation we have prepared in connection with this action, which we are making available for review and comment.

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this notice announces the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service's intention to request the reinstatement of an information collection associated with the interstate movement of regulated nursery stock from quarantined areas to prevent the spread of citrus canker, citrus greening, and Asian citrus psyllid.

The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service is preparing an environmental impact statement analyzing alternatives for predator damage management in Oregon. This notice proposes issues and alternatives for consideration in the environmental impact statement and requests public comments to further delineate the scope of the alternatives, the environmental issues, and other issues of public concern to be considered. This notice also serves to inform the public that the U.S. Forest Service and the U.S. Department of the Interior's Bureau of Land Management have joined as cooperating agencies in the environmental impact statement process.

We are advising the public that the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service has prepared an environmental assessment relative to permitting the release of the insects Bikasha collaris and Gadirtha fusca for biological control of Chinese tallow tree (Triadica sebifera) in the contiguous United States. Based on the environmental assessment and other relevant data, we have reached a preliminary determination that the release of this control agent will not have a significant impact on the quality of the human environment. We are making the environmental assessment available to the public for review and comment.

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 its efforts to certify certain laboratories that conduct aquatic animal testing for export activities.

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this notice announces the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service's intention to request approval of a new information collection associated with the testing and reporting of SARS-CoV-2 in animals.