Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service September 2010 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

We are announcing to the public that veterinarians who are currently accredited in the National Veterinary Accreditation Program (NVAP) may continue to perform accredited duties and to elect to continue to participate in the NVAP until further notice. The regulations indicate that currently accredited veterinarians must elect to continue their participation in the NVAP in order to maintain their accredited status, after which we will confirm their continued participation and notify them of their first renewal date. Various logistical obstacles have prevented us from processing in a timely manner the elections to participate that we have received. Allowing currently accredited veterinarians to continue to perform accredited duties and to elect to participate will ensure that we obtain an accurate and complete record of accredited veterinarian participation while continuing to allow veterinarians to provide accredited services to the public.

In a final rule that was published in the Federal Register on December 9, 2009 (74 FR 64998-65013, Docket No. APHIS-2006-0093), and effective on February 1, 2010, we amended the National Veterinary Accreditation Program regulations, adding new provisions and reorganizing others. In that final rule, we redesignated the section containing the standards for performing accredited veterinarian duties, but we neglected to update citations of that section elsewhere in 9 CFR chapter I. This document corrects those errors.

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this notice announces the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service's intention to initiate an information collection to support the National Animal Health Monitoring System Small-Scale Livestock Operations 2011 Study.

We are proposing to amend the live animal export regulations by removing the list of designated ports of embarkation and their associated export inspection facilities. As a result of this rulemaking, those ports and facilities would henceforth be listed on the Internet rather than in the regulations, thus enabling us to amend the list, when necessary, in a timelier manner than we can now and allowing us greater flexibility in regulating animal exports.

We are proposing to amend the livestock exportation regulations to eliminate the requirement for pre-export tuberculosis and brucellosis testing of goats and breeding swine intended for export to countries that do not require such tests. This action would facilitate the exportation of goats and breeding swine by eliminating the need to conduct pre-export tuberculosis and brucellosis testing when the receiving country does not require such testing.

We are advising the public that the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service has prepared an environmental assessment (EA) concerning authorization to ship for the purpose of field testing, and then to field test, an unlicensed foot-and-mouth disease vaccine, live adenovirus vector. The EA, which is based on a risk analysis prepared to assess the risks associated with the field testing of this vaccine, examines the potential effects that field testing this veterinary vaccine could have on the quality of the human environment. Based on the risk analysis, we have reached a preliminary determination that field testing this veterinary vaccine will not have a significant impact on the quality of the human environment, and that an environmental impact statement need not be prepared. We intend to authorize shipment of this vaccine for field testing following the close of the comment period for this notice unless new substantial issues bearing on the effects of this action are brought to our attention. We also intend to issue a U.S. Veterinary Biological Product license for this vaccine, provided the field test data support the conclusions of the EA and the issuance of a finding of no significant impact and the product meets all other requirements for licensing.

We are amending the black stem rust quarantine and regulations by adding four varieties to the list of rust-resistant Berberis species or cultivars in the regulations. This action will allow for the interstate movement of these newly developed varieties without unnecessary restrictions.