Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service March 2005 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

We are proposing to amend the fruits and vegetables regulations to list a number of fruits and vegetables from certain parts of the world as eligible, under specified conditions, for importation into the United States. Many of these fruits and vegetables are already eligible for importation under permit, but are not specifically listed in the regulations. All of the fruits and vegetables, as a condition of entry, would be inspected and subject to treatment at the port of first arrival as may be required by an inspector. In addition, some of the fruits and vegetables would be required to be treated or meet other special conditions. We also propose to recognize areas in several countries as free from certain fruit flies; provide for the importation of untreated citrus from Mexico for processing under certain conditions; add, modify, or remove certain definitions; eliminate or modify existing treatment requirements for specified commodities; and make other miscellaneous changes. These actions would improve the transparency of our regulations while continuing to protect against the introduction of quarantine pests through imported fruits and vegetables.

We are amending the regulations by adding the Mexican States of Campeche, Quintana Roo, Sonora, and Yucatan to the lists of regions considered free of classical swine fever (CSF). We have conducted a series of risk evaluations and have determined that these four States have met our requirements for being recognized as free of this disease. This action allows the importation into the United States of pork, pork products, live swine, and swine semen from these regions. In addition, this rule requires live swine, pork, and pork products imported into the United States from the four Mexican States to be certified as having originated in one of those States or in another region recognized by the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service as free of CSF and as not having been commingled, prior to export to the United States, with animals and animal products from regions where CSF exists.

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this notice announces the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service's intention to request an extension of approval of an information collection associated with regulations for pork and poultry products from Mexico transiting the United States.

We are adopting as a final rule, with changes, an interim rule that established regulations governing the possession, use, and transfer of biological agents and toxins that have been determined to have the potential to pose a severe threat to public health and safety, to animal health, to plant health, or to animal or plant products. This action is necessary to protect animal and plant health, and animal and plant products.

We are withdrawing a proposed rule to amend the Virus-Serum- Toxin Act regulations concerning Standard Requirements for Bovine Virus Diarrhea Vaccine, Killed Virus, and Bovine Rhinotracheitis Vaccine, Killed Virus. The proposed rule would have required vaccines to elicit specific antibody titer that is at least 80 percent of the geometric mean antibody titer obtained in the vaccinates in the host animal protection study to pass the potency test. We are taking this action after considering the comments we received following the publication of the proposed rule.

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this notice announces the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service's intention to request an extension of approval of an information collection associated with regulations to prohibit the importation of used farm equipment from regions affected with foot-and-mouth disease unless the equipment has been steam-cleaned prior to export to the United States.

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this notice announces the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service's intention to initiate a new information collection activity to support the National Animal Health Monitoring System's national Equine 2005 study.

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this notice announces the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service's intention to request an extension of approval of an information collection associated with regulations for the importation of poultry meat and other poultry products from Sinaloa and Sonora, Mexico, into the United States.

We are amending the Oriental fruit fly regulations by removing a portion of Orange County, CA, from the list of quarantined areas and by removing restrictions on the interstate movement of regulated articles from that area. This action is necessary to relieve restrictions that are no longer needed to prevent the spread of the Oriental fruit fly into noninfested areas of the United States. We have determined that the Oriental fruit fly has been eradicated from this portion of Orange County, CA, and that the quarantine and restrictions are no longer necessary. This portion of Orange County, CA, was the last remaining area in California quarantined for the Oriental fruit fly. Therefore, as a result of this action, there are no longer any areas in the continental United States quarantined for the Oriental fruit fly.

We are amending the emerald ash borer regulations by adding areas in Indiana, Michigan, and Ohio to the list of areas quarantined because of emerald ash borer. As a result of this action, the interstate movement of regulated articles from those areas is restricted. This action is necessary to prevent the artificial spread of the emerald ash borer from infested areas in the States of Indiana, Michigan, and Ohio into noninfested areas of the United States.