02-742. Notice of Request for Reinstatement of an Information Collection

AGENCY:

Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, USDA.

ACTION:

Reinstatement of approval of an information collection; comment request.

SUMMARY:

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 in support of the State-Federal Brucellosis Eradication Program.

DATES:

We invite you to comment on this docket. We will consider all comments we receive that are postmarked, delivered, or e-mailed by March 12, 2002.

ADDRESSES:

You may submit comments by postal mail/commercial delivery or by e-mail. If you use postal mail/commercial delivery, please send four copies of your comment (an original and three copies) to: Docket No. 01-071-1, Regulatory Analysis and Development, PPD,APHIS, Station 3C71, 4700 River Road Unit 118, Riverdale, MD 20737-1238. Please state that your comment refers to Docket No. 01-071-1. If you use e-mail, address your comment to [e-mail]. Your comment must be contained in the body of your message; do not send attached files. Please include your name and address in your message and “Docket No.01-071-1” on the subject line.

You may read any comments that we receive on this docket in our reading room. The reading room is located in room 1141 of the USDA South Building, 14th Street and Independence Avenue SW., Washington, DC. Normal reading room hours are 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, except holidays. To be sure someone is there to help you, please call [phone] before coming.

APHIS documents published in the Federal Register, and related information, including the names of organizations and individuals who have commented on APHIS dockets, are available on the Internet at http://www.aphis.usda.gov/​ppd/​rad/​webrepor.html.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

For information regarding the State-Federal Brucellosis Eradication Program, contact Dr. Valerie Ragan, Senior Staff Veterinarian, National Animal Health Programs Staff, VS, APHIS, 4700 River Road Unit 43, Riverdale, MD 20737-1231; [phone]. For copies of more detailed information on the information collection, contact Mrs. Celeste Sickles, APHIS' Information Collection Coordinator, at [phone].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

 

Title: Brucellosis Eradication Program.

OMB Number: 0579-0047.

Type of Request: Reinstatement of an information collection.

Abstract: The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) is responsible for, among other things, administering regulations intended to prevent the spread of brucellosis and other animal diseases within the United States.

Brucellosis is a contagious disease that primarily affects cattle, bison, and swine. It causes the loss of young through spontaneous abortion or birth of weak offspring, reduced milk production, and infertility. The continued presence of brucellosis in a herd seriously threatens the health of other animals. Brucellosis has caused devastating losses to farmers in the United States over the last century.

The State-Federal Brucellosis Eradication Program, which is a national program, is working toward eliminating this serious disease of livestock. The program is conducted under the various States' authorities supplemented by Federal authorities regulating interstate movement of affected animals. Effective screening programs and extensive epidemiologic investigations are required to locate infection and to eradicate the disease.

Conducting effective brucellosis screening programs and epidemiologic investigations requires the use of many information collection activities, such as applications for tags or tattoos, epidemiology report forms, permits for movement of restricted animals, monthly reports of brucellosis eradication and program surveillance activities, reports of brucellosis reactors slaughtered, and permits for shipping exposed herds. The information obtained from these activities is used to continue the search for other infected herds, maintain identification of livestock, monitor deficiencies in identification of animals for movement, and monitor program deficiencies in suspicious and infected herds. These information collection activities are essential in determining the status of a brucellosis area and helping herd owners by speeding up the detection and elimination of serious disease conditions in their herds.

We are asking the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to approve our use of these information collection activities for 3 years.

The purpose of this notice is to solicit comments form the public (as well as affected agencies) concerning our information collection. These comments will help us:

(1) Evaluate whether the collection of information is necessary fo the proper performance of the functions of the Agency, including whether the information will have practical utility;

(2) Evaluate the accuracy of our estimate of the burden of the collection of information, including the validity of the methodology and assumptions used;

(3) Enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected; and

(4) Minimize the burden of the collection of information on those who are to respond, through use, as appropriate, of automated, electronic, mechanical, and other collection technologies; e.g., permitting electronic submission of responses.

Estimate of burden: The public reporting burden for this collection of information is estimated to average 0.0076513 hours per response.

Respondents: Veterinarians, livestock inspectors, and herd owners.

Estimated annual number of respondents: 7,382.

Estimated annual number of responses per respondent: 71.455703.

Estimated annual number of responses: 527,486.

Estimated total annual burden on respondents: 4,036 hours. (Due to averaging, the total annual burden hours may not equal the product of the annual number of responses multiplied by the average reporting burden per response.)

All responses to this notice will be summarized and included in the request for OMB approval. All comments will also become a matter of public record.

Done in Washington, DC, this 7th day of January 2002.

W. Ron DeHaven,

Acting Administrator, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.