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

We are advising the public of our decision to authorize the importation of fresh pomegranates from Peru into the continental United States. Based on the findings of a pest risk analysis, which we made available for the public to review and comment through a previous notice, we have concluded that the application of designated phytosanitary measures will be sufficient to mitigate the risks of introducing or disseminating plant pests via the importation of fresh pomegranates from Peru.

We are amending the bovine tuberculosis regulations regarding State and zone classifications by reclassifying the State of California as accredited-free. We have determined that the State meets the criteria for accredited-free status. This action relieves certain restrictions on the interstate movement of cattle and bison from the State of California.

We are proposing to amend the regulations to allow the importation of fresh mango fruit from Vietnam into the continental United States. As a condition of entry, fresh mango fruit from Vietnam would be subject to a systems approach that would include orchard requirements, irradiation treatment, and port of entry inspection. The fruit would also be required to be imported in commercial consignments and accompanied by a phytosanitary certificate issued by the national plant protection organization of Vietnam with an additional declaration stating that the consignment was inspected and found free of Macrophoma mangiferae and Xanthomonas campestris pv. mangiferaeindicae. This action would allow for the importation of fresh mango fruit from Vietnam while continuing to provide protection against the introduction of plant pests into the continental United States.

The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service proposed to alter an existing system of records in its inventory of record systems subject to the provisions of the Privacy Act of 1974, as amended. The system of records is Veterinary ServicesRecords of Accredited Veterinarians, USDA-APHIS-2. The system, as proposed, has been adopted; however, we received one comment, which is addressed in this notice.

We are proposing to amend the horse protection regulations to provide that the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) will train and license Designated Qualified Persons (DQPs) to inspect horses at horse shows, exhibitions, sales, and auctions for compliance with the Horse Protection Act. DQPs are currently trained and licensed through programs certified by APHIS and initiated and maintained by horse industry organizations (HIOs). Under this proposal, APHIS will train and license DQPs on an individual basis. The proposed changes to the regulations would relieve HIOs of all regulatory burdens and requirements. We would also establish a process by which APHIS could revoke the license of a DQP for professional misconduct or failure to conduct inspections in accordance with the regulations. We would establish requirements to minimize conflicts of interest between DQPs and others within the horse industry that enable the practice of soring. We are also proposing several changes to the responsibilities of management of horse shows, exhibitions, sales, and auctions, as well as changes to the list of devices, equipment, substances, and practices that can cause soring or are otherwise prohibited under the Horse Protection Act and regulations. Additionally, we are proposing to amend the inspection procedures that DQPs are required to perform. These actions would strengthen existing requirements intended to protect horses from the unnecessary and cruel practice of soring and eliminate unfair competition.

We are proposing to amend the regulations that set out our National Environmental Policy Act implementing procedures. The amendments include clarifying and amending the categories of action for which we would normally complete an environmental impact statement or an environmental assessment for an action, expanding the list of actions subject to categorical exclusion from further environmental documentation, and setting out an environmental documentation process that could be used in emergencies. The proposed changes are intended to update the regulations and improve their clarity and effectiveness.

We are advising the public that we have prepared a pest risk analysis that evaluates the risks associated with importation of fresh star apple fruit from Vietnam into the continental United States. Based on the analysis, 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 fresh star apple fruit from Vietnam. We are making the pest risk analysis available to the public for review and comment.

We are proposing to amend the regulations that govern the importation of animals and animal products to revise the conditions for the importation of live sheep, goats, and certain other non-bovine ruminants, and products derived from sheep and goats, with regard to transmissible spongiform encephalopathies such as bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) and scrapie. We are proposing to remove BSE- related import restrictions on sheep and goats and most of their products, and to add import restrictions related to transmissible spongiform encephalopathies for certain wild, zoological, or other non- bovine ruminant species. The conditions we are proposing for the importation of specified commodities are based on internationally accepted scientific literature and will in general align our regulations with guidelines set out in the World Organization for Animal Health's Terrestrial Animal Health Code.

We are advising the public that the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service has prepared a final environmental assessment and finding of no significant impact relative to the field release of a gall-forming fly, Parafreutreta regalis, into the continental United States for the use as a biological control agent to reduce the severity of Cape-ivy, Delairea odorata. Based on the finding of no significant impact, we have determined that an environmental impact statement need not be prepared.

We are giving notice that the Secretary of Agriculture has renewed the charter of the General Conference Committee of the National Poultry Improvement Plan (Committee) for a 2-year period. The Secretary of Agriculture has determined that the Committee is necessary and in the public interest.

We are extending the comment period for a proposed rule to allow the importation of lemons from northwest Argentina into the continental United States. This action will allow interested persons additional time to prepare and submit comments.

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 importation of fruit from Thailand.

We are proposing to amend the phytosanitary treatment regulations to establish generic criteria that would allow for the approval of new cold treatment facilities in the Southern and Western States of the United States. These criteria, if met, would allow us to approve new cold treatment facilities without rulemaking and facilitate the importation of fruit requiring cold treatment while continuing to provide protection against the introduction of pests of concern into the United States. We are also proposing to amend the fruit cutting and inspection requirements in the cold treatment regulations in order to expand cutting and inspection to commodities that have been treated for a wider variety of pests of concern. This action would provide for a greater degree of phytosanitary protection. We are also proposing to add requirements concerning the establishment of compliance agreements for all entities that operate fumigation facilities. Finally, we are proposing to harmonize language concerning State compliance with facility establishment and parameters for the movement of consignments from the port of entry or points of origin in the United States to the treatment facility in the irradiation treatment regulations with proposed language in the cold treatment regulations. These actions would serve to codify and make enforceable existing procedures concerning compliance agreements for these facilities.

We are amending our regulations regarding the importation or exportation of animals and animal products and plants and plant products to address instances where the current regulations require the use of a hard-copy form or specify that a particular document must be submitted in writing. This final rule amends the regulations to provide the flexibility needed for persons to take advantage of electronic systems when a regulation has a limiting requirement. The amendments we are making in this final rule are not to mandate the use of electronic systems or preclude the use of paper documents; rather, they address those instances where our regulations specify a submission method to the exclusion of other methods.

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 clarify that the declaration is required for all formal consumption entries of plant and plant products into the United States, including those entries from foreign trade zones and bonded warehouses.

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 live swine, pork and pork products, and swine semen from the European Union.

Commercial consignments of Hass avocado fruit are currently authorized entry into the continental United States, Hawaii, and Puerto Rico from the Mexican State of Michoac[aacute]n under a systems approach to mitigate against quarantine pests of concern. We are amending the regulations to allow the importation of fresh Hass avocado fruit into the continental United States, Hawaii, and Puerto Rico from all of Mexico, provided individual Mexican States meet the requirements set out in the regulations and the operational workplan. Initially, this action would only apply to the Mexican State of Jalisco. With the exception of a clarification of the language concerning when sealed, insect-proof containers would be required to be used in shipping and the removal of mandatory fruit cutting at land and maritime borders, the current systems approach will not change. The current systems approach, which includes requirements for orchard certification, traceback labeling, pre-harvest orchard surveys, orchard sanitation, post-harvest safeguards, fruit cutting and inspection at the packinghouse, port-of-arrival inspection, and clearance activities, will be required for importation of fresh Hass avocado fruit from all approved areas of Mexico. The fruit will also be required to be imported in commercial consignments and accompanied by a phytosanitary certificate issued by the national plant protection organization of Mexico with an additional declaration stating that the consignment was produced in accordance with the systems approach described in the operational workplan. This final rule will allow for the importation of fresh Hass avocado fruit from Mexico while continuing to provide protection against the introduction of plant pests into the continental United States, Hawaii, and Puerto Rico.

We are correcting an error in a notice announcing that the Secretary of Agriculture is soliciting nominations for the election of members and alternates to the General Conference Committee of the National Poultry Improvement Plan. The notice was published in the Federal Register on March 1, 2016.

We are advising the public that the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service has prepared an environmental assessment concerning authorization to import under permit, for distribution and sale for emergency use, a Classical Swine Fever Virus Vaccine, Live Pestivirus Vector. The environmental assessment, which is based on a risk analysis prepared to assess the risks associated with the use of this vaccine, examines the potential effects that this veterinary vaccine could have on the quality of the human environment. Based on the risk analysis and other relevant data, we have reached a preliminary determination that use of 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 under permit for distribution and sale for emergency use in the United States 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 and provided the product meets all requirements for approval.

We are proposing to amend the fruits and vegetables regulations to allow the importation of lemons from northwest Argentina into the continental United States. As a condition of entry, lemons from northwest Argentina would have to be produced in accordance with a systems approach that would include requirements for importation in commercial consignments; registration and monitoring of places of production and packinghouses; pest-free places of production; grove sanitation, monitoring, and pest control practices; treatment with a surface disinfectant; lot identification; and inspection for quarantine pests by the Argentine national plant protection organization. Additionally, lemons from northwest Argentina would have to be harvested green and within a certain time period, or treated for Medfly in accordance with an approved treatment schedule. Lemons from northwest Argentina would also be required to be accompanied by a phytosanitary certificate with an additional declaration stating that the lemons have been inspected and found to be free of quarantine pests and were produced in accordance with the proposed requirements. This action would allow for the importation of lemons from northwest Argentina into the United States while continuing to provide protection against the introduction of quarantine pests.

This is a notice to inform the public of the next meetings of the Secretary's Advisory Committee on Animal Health. The meetings are being organized by the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service to discuss matters of animal health.

In a final rule published in the Federal Register on October 23, 2015, and effective on November 23, 2015, we amended the fruits and vegetables regulations to allow the importation of fresh peppers into the United States from Ecuador subject to a systems approach. However, the scope of the pest risk analysis supporting the rule was limited to the continental United States. Therefore, we are amending the regulations to limit the importation of fresh peppers from Ecuador to the continental United States only.

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 the regulations for the importation of Unshu oranges from the Republic of Korea into the continental United States.