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

We are amending the bovine tuberculosis regulations to advance the status of Antrim, Charlevoix, Cheboygan, Crawford, Emmet, Otsego, and Presque Isle Counties in Michigan from modified accredited advanced to accredited-free. We have determined that these counties meet the criteria for accredited-free status. This action relieves certain restrictions on the interstate movement of cattle and bison from these areas of Michigan.

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 or captive cervid herds.

We are adding a region of Argentina, consisting of the areas of Patagonia South and Patagonia North B, to the lists of regions that are considered free of rinderpest and foot-and-mouth disease (FMD). We are taking this action because we have determined that this region is free of rinderpest and FMD. We are also adding the Patagonia Region to the list of regions that are subject to certain import restrictions on meat and meat products because of their proximity to or trading relationships with rinderpest- or FMD-affected countries. These actions update the disease status of the Patagonia Region with regard to rinderpest and foot-and-mouth disease while continuing to protect the United States from an introduction of those diseases by providing additional requirements for any meat and meat products imported into the United States from the Patagonia Region of Argentina.

We are advising the public that we are recognizing the Australian States of New South Wales, Northern Territory, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania, and Victoria as free of Mediterranean fruit fly (Medfly) and the State of Western Australia as free of Queensland fruit fly. Based on our evaluation of the survey protocols and other information provided by Australia's national plant protection organization, which we made available to the public for review and comment through a previous notice, the Administrator has determined that these areas meet the criteria in our regulations for recognition as pest-free areas for either Medfly or Queensland fruit fly.

We are advising the public that the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service has reached a preliminary decision to extend our determination of nonregulated status of soybean event MON 87701 to soybean event MON 87751 in response to a request from the Monsanto Company. Soybean event MON 87751 has been genetically engineered for resistance to lepidopteran insects, including resistance to fall armyworm beyond that provided to soybean event MON 87701. We are making available for public comment our preliminary finding of no significant impact for the proposed determination of nonregulated status.

We are proposing to amend the fruits and vegetables regulations to allow the importation into the continental United States of commercial consignments of five species of fresh citrus fruit from China. As a condition of entry, the citrus fruit would have to be produced in accordance with a systems approach that includes requirements for registration of places of production and packinghouses, sourcing of pest-free propagative material, inspection for quarantine pests at set intervals by the national plant protection organization (NPPO) of China, bagging of fruit, safeguarding, post- harvest processing and sampling, and importation in commercial consignments. Additionally, we would require places of production to trap for several species of Bactrocera fruit flies, and would require the fruit to be treated for those species of fruit flies. In addition, consignments would have to be accompanied by a phytosanitary certificate issued by the NPPO of China that declares that the conditions for importation have been met and that the consignments have been inspected and found free of quarantine pests. Finally, the NPPO of China would have to provide an operational workplan to the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service of the United States Department of Agriculture that details the activities that the NPPO of China will carry out to meet these requirements. This proposed rule would allow for the importation of fresh citrus from China into the continental United States while providing protection against the introduction of plant pests.

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 payment of indemnity due to infectious salmon anemia.

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 required by the Lacey Act for the importation of certain plants and plant products.

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 fresh pitaya fruit from Central America into the continental United States.

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 introduction of organisms and products altered or produced through genetic engineering.

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 eggplant from Israel into the continental United States.

We are amending the regulations concerning the importation of fruits and vegetables to allow the importation of fresh blueberries from Morocco into the continental United States. As a condition of entry, the blueberries must be produced under a systems approach employing a combination of mitigation measures for two quarantine pests, Ceratitis capitata and Monilinia fructigena, and must be inspected prior to exportation from Morocco and found free of these pests. The blueberries may be imported in commercial consignments only and must be treated with one of two approved postharvest treatments to mitigate C. capitata. The blueberries will have to be accompanied by a phytosanitary certificate with an additional declaration stating that the conditions for importation have been met. This action will allow the importation of blueberries from Morocco while continuing to protect against the introduction of plant pests into the United States.

We are proposing to amend the regulations concerning the importation of citrus fruit to allow the importation of commercial consignments of two Unshu orange hybrids from the Republic of Korea into the continental United States. These hybrids would be eligible for importation into the continental United States subject to the existing conditions for the importation of Unshu oranges from the Republic of Korea. We would also make one minor change to the existing regulations by adding an explicit statement that only commercial consignments of Unshu oranges would be eligible for importation into the continental United States. The proposed changes would remove the prohibition on the importation of Unshu orange hybrids that can safely enter the United States, provided that certain conditions are met, and would codify an existing requirement.

We are amending the regulations regarding official tuberculosis tests for captive cervids to remove the CervidTB Stat- Pak[supreg] as an official bovine tuberculosis test for the following species of captive cervids: Elk, red deer, white-tailed deer, fallow deer, and reindeer. We are also amending the regulations to specify that the Dual Path Platform (DPP)[supreg] test, which was previously a supplemental test to be used in conjunction with the CervidTB Stat- Pak[supreg], is now considered a primary test, as well. We are taking this action because the CervidTB Stat-Pak[supreg] is no longer being produced, and because we have determined that the DPP[supreg] test can reliably be used as a primary test for bovine tuberculosis in certain species of captive cervids. This action is necessary on an immediate basis so that the regulations do not continue to authorize usage of a discontinued test, yet still provide regulated entities with options in order to meet the testing requirements for captive cervids within the regulations.

We are adopting as a final rule, without change, an interim rule that amended the Asian longhorned beetle regulations by removing portions of Middlesex and Union Counties, NJ, from the list of quarantined areas based on our determination that those areas meet our criteria for removal. The interim rule was necessary to relieve restrictions that are no longer necessary because there are no longer any areas in New Jersey that are quarantined because of Asian longhorned beetle.

We are proposing to recognize the State of Sonora as a region in Mexico that is free of fever ticks. We would also establish an exemption from acaricide dipping treatment requirements, and the documentation requirements associated with such dipping, that are currently applicable to cattle and other ruminants originating from Sonora as a condition of eligibility for entry to the United States, provided that certain conditions are met. This proposed action would remove restrictions on the importation of cattle and other ruminants from Sonora that we believe are no longer necessary and reduce the costs associated with tick dipping for exporters and importers of ruminants.

We are amending the National Poultry Improvement Plan (NPIP, the Plan) and its auxiliary provisions by removing the descriptions of specific tests and sanitation procedures from the regulations. Instead, we will require tests to be performed and sanitation to be maintained in a manner approved by the Administrator. Approved procedures will be listed in an NPIP Program Standards document, which we are making available on the NPIP Web site. In addition, we are establishing new compartment classifications for defined subpopulations of primary breeding turkeys, primary egg-type chickens, and primary meat-type chickens. We are also providing new or modified sampling and testing procedures for Plan participants and participating flocks. The changes in this final rule were voted on and approved by the voting delegates at the Plan's 2010 and 2012 National Plan Conferences. These changes will streamline the provisions of the Plan, keep those provisions current with changes in the poultry industry, and provide for the use of new sampling and testing procedures.

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 pork and poultry products from Mexico transiting 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 request a reinstatement of an information collection to support the National Animal Health Monitoring System's Equine 2015 Study to support the equine industry in the United States.

We are reopening the comment period for our proposed rule to amend the user fee regulations by adding new fee categories and adjusting current fees charged for certain agricultural quarantine and inspection services that are provided in connection with certain commercial vessels, commercial trucks, commercial railroad cars, commercial aircraft, and international passengers arriving at ports in the customs territory of the 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 approval of a new information collection for a U.S. origin health certificate template.

We are advising the public that we have determined that Saudi Arabia is free of African horse sickness (AHS). After reviewing the documentation submitted by Saudi Arabia in support of its request and considering other factors, the Administrator of the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service has determined that AHS is not present in Saudi Arabia. We are making that determination, as well as an evaluation we have prepared in connection with this action, available for review and comment.

We are advising the public that we have prepared a pest risk analysis (PRA) that evaluates the risks associated with the interstate movement into the continental United States of fresh achachair[uacute] fruit from Puerto Rico. Based on that analysis, we believe 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 interstate movement of achachair[uacute] from Puerto Rico. We are making the PRA 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 an extension of approval of an information collection associated with the category of plants for planting that are not authorized for importation pending pest risk analysis.

We are affirming our earlier determination that it was necessary to immediately add to the Plant Protection and Quarantine Treatment Manual a treatment schedule for methyl bromide fumigation of kumquats to control certain fruit flies. In a previous notice, we made available to the public for review and comment a treatment evaluation document that described the new treatment schedule and explained why we have determined that it is effective at neutralizing fruit flies.