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

We are advising the public of our decision to concur with the World Organization for Animal Health's (OIE) bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) risk designations for Ecuador and Serbia. The OIE recognizes Ecuador as being of controlled risk for BSE and Serbia as being of negligible risk for BSE. We are taking this action based on our review of information supporting the OIE's risk designations for these regions.

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this notice announces the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service's (APHIS') intention to request an extension of approval of an information collection associated with the use of contract pilots and aircraft in APHIS' Plant Protection and Quarantine domestic, emergency, and biological control programs.

We are advising the public of our decision to revise the requirements for the importation of citrus from Australia in order to authorize the importation into the continental United States of citrus from additional areas of production. Based on the findings of a pest risk analysis, which we made available to the public for review and comment through a previous notice, we have determined that the application of one or more designated phytosanitary measures will be sufficient to mitigate the risks of introducing or disseminating plant pests or noxious weeds via the importation of citrus from these additional authorized areas of production in Australia.

We are amending the animal and animal product import regulations in order to reflect the exit of the United Kingdom (UK) from the European Union (EU). The revised regulations will treat as separate entities Great Britain (England, Scotland, and Wales) (GB) and Northern Ireland in various lists and definitions. We are also announcing that, for an interim period, during which the UK will transition to and implement their new animal health laws and policies, the current Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service import conditions for animals and animal products from the UK will continue to apply to imports from GB. In addition, we are announcing that because of Northern Ireland's stated intent to continue to follow EU animal health regulations and policies, we intend to consider the animal health statuses of Northern Ireland to be the same animal health statuses of equivalent EU Member States, wherever appropriate. We are also updating our definition of the EU, where necessary, to include Croatia. Lastly, we are further amending the regulations to update the names of staff offices and websites, and we are making other minor changes.

We are giving notice that the General Conference Committee of the National Poultry Improvement Plan will be holding a virtual public meeting.

We are announcing to the public that the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service intends to prepare an environmental impact statement (EIS) evaluating the impacts that may result from the approval of a petition for nonregulated status for blight-tolerant Darling 58 American chestnut (Castanea dentata) from the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry. The trees have been developed using genetic engineering to express an oxalate oxidase enzyme from wheat as a defense against the fungal pathogen Cryphonectria parasitica, making Darling 58 American chestnut tolerant to chestnut blight. Issues to be addressed in the EIS include the potential environmental impacts to managed natural and non- agricultural lands, the physical environment, biological resources, human health, socioeconomics, federally listed threatened or endangered species, and cultural or historic resources. We are requesting public comments to further delineate the scope of the alternatives and environmental and interrelated economic issues and impacts to be considered in the EIS.