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

We are advising the public that the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service has prepared a preliminary plant pest risk assessment and draft environmental assessment regarding a request from Pioneer Hi-Bred International seeking a determination of nonregulated status for corn designated DP202216 Maize, which has been genetically engineered for enhanced grain yield potential and Glufosinate-ammonium herbicide resistance. We are making these documents available for public 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 accrediting nongovernment facilities to perform services related to the export of plants or 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 an extension of approval of an information collection associated with the National Veterinary Accreditation Program application form.

In a final rule that was published in the Federal Register on February 25, 2020, and effective on March 26, 2020, we amended the regulations governing the National Veterinary Accreditation Program by, among other things, replacing all instances of the term ``Veterinarian- in-Charge'' with the term ``Veterinary Official.'' However, we inadvertently left two instances of the term ``Veterinarian-in-Charge'' in the regulations. This document corrects that oversight in the final rule.

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 National Veterinary Services Laboratories diagnostic support for the bovine spongiform encephalopathy surveillance program.

We are advising the public that the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service has received a request to extend our determination of nonregulated status of J.R. Simplot Company's (Simplot's) W8 potato to event Z6 (hereafter Z6 potato). Z6 potato has been genetically engineered for late blight protection, low acrylamide potential, lowered reducing sugars, and reduced black spot using the same construct and method of transformation as W8 potato. We are making available for public comment the request and our plant pest risk similarity assessment and preliminary determination of nonregulated status.

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 activities to prevent the introduction of bovine spongiform encephalopathy into 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 revision to and extension of approval of an information collection associated with the export of animals and animal products from the United States.

We are reopening the comment period for our proposed rule that would amend the domestic quarantine regulations for pale cyst nematode by adding procedures to allow persons to review and comment on the protocols for regulating and deregulating infested and associated areas. We are taking this action to allow persons to comment on the science on which we have established our infested and associated field protocols and on the sources we have used to develop the protocol principles and methods currently used. 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 (APHIS') intention to request a revision to and extension of approval of an information collection that allows the public to report sightings of plant pests and diseases and APHIS to conduct Asian Longhorn Beetle Program activities.

We are advising the public that the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service has prepared a Decision and Finding of No Significant Impact for the final environmental assessment, relative to an oral rabies vaccination program in Maine, New Hampshire, New York, Ohio, Tennessee, Texas, Vermont, Virginia, and West Virginia. Based on our decision and finding of no significant impact, the Animal and Plant Health Inspection has determined that an environmental impact statement need not be prepared.

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this notice announces the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service's intention to request the reinstatement of an information collection associated with the regulations for payment of avian influenza indemnity claims.

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this notice announces the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service's intention to request the reinstatement of an information collection associated with the regulations for the importation of seeds and screenings from Canada into the United States.

We are amending the licensing requirements in the Animal Welfare Act (AWA) regulations to promote compliance, reduce licensing fees, and strengthen safeguards that prevent individuals and businesses with a history of noncompliance from obtaining a license or working with regulated animals. This action will reduce regulatory burden with respect to licensing and help ensure licensees' sustained compliance with the AWA, thus promoting animal welfare. We have also revised the veterinary care and watering standards for regulated dogs to better align the regulations with the humane care and treatment standards set by the Animal Welfare Act.

We are advising the public that the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) has received a petition from Bayer/Monsanto seeking a determination of nonregulated status of maize genetically engineered for dicamba, glufosinate, quizalofop, and 2,4- dichlorophenoxyacetic acid tolerance with tissue-specific glyphosate tolerance facilitating the production of hybrid maize seed. The petition has been submitted in accordance with our regulations concerning the introduction of certain genetically engineered organisms and products. We are making the petition available for review and comment to help us identify potential environmental and interrelated economic issues and impacts that APHIS may determine should be considered in our evaluation of the petition.

We are advising the public that we have prepared an environmental assessment and finding of no significant impact relative to permitting the release of Sericothrips staphylinus for the biological control of gorse, a spiny shrub, within the contiguous United States. Based on our finding of no significant impact, we have determined that an environmental impact statement need not be prepared.

We are giving notice of a meeting of the General Conference Committee (GCC or the Committee) of the National Poultry Improvement Plan (NPIP) and the NPIP's 45th Biennial Conference.

We are advising the public that we have added Indonesia to the list of regions that the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service considers to be affected with African swine fever (ASF). We have taken this action because of confirmation of ASF in Indonesia.

We are advising the public of our decision to authorize importation of sand pears from all production areas of Japan into the United States and to revise the conditions under which they may be imported. Based on the findings of a commodity import evaluation document, which we made available to the public for review and comment through a previous notice, we have concluded 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 sand pears from all production areas of Japan.

We are advising the public that the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service has prepared an environmental assessment concerning authorization to ship for the purpose of field testing, and then to field test, an unlicensed Clostridium Perfringens Type A Vaccine, Live Salmonella Vector. The environmental assessment, 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 environmental assessment and the issuance of a finding of no significant impact and the product meets all other requirements for licensing.

We are proposing to amend the animal disease regulations to provide for a National List of Reportable Animal Diseases, along with reporting responsibilities for animal health professionals that encounter or suspect cases of communicable animal diseases and disease agents. These proposed changes are necessary to streamline State and Federal cooperative animal disease detection, response, and control efforts. This action would consolidate and enhance current disease reporting mechanisms, and would complement and supplement existing animal disease tracking and reporting at the State level.

We are advising the public that we have prepared a commodity import evaluation document (CIED) relative to the importation into the United States of blueberries from Chile. Currently, blueberries from Chile imported into the United States from an area in which European grapevine moth is known to exist must be fumigated with methyl bromide. Based on the findings of the CIED, we are proposing to also allow the importation of such blueberries under the provisions of a systems approach. We are making the CIED available to the public for review and comment.

We are advising the public of our decision to revise the import requirements for the importation of fresh fragrant pears from China into the United States and to authorize importation from an additional area of production. Based on the findings of the pest risk analysis, which we made available to the public to review and comment through a previous notice, we have concluded 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 fragrant pears fruit from this additional production area.

In accordance with the Agricultural Bioterrorism Protection Act of 2002, we are soliciting public comment regarding the list of select agents and toxins that have the potential to pose a severe threat to animal or plant health, or to animal or plant products. The Act requires the biennial review and republication of the list of select agents and toxins and the revision of the list as necessary. Accordingly, we are soliciting public comment on the current list of select agents and toxins in our regulations and suggestions regarding any addition or reduction of the animal or plant pathogens currently on the list of select agents.

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 Cooperative Agricultural Pest Survey.