03-25883. Notice of Request for Extension of Approval of an Information Collection

AGENCY:

Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, USDA.

ACTION:

Extension 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 an extension of approval of an information collection in support of regulations for the commercial transportation of equines to slaughtering facilities.

DATES:

We will consider all comments that we receive on or before December 15, 2003.

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. 03-093-1, 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. 03-093-1. 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. 03-093-1” 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 regulations for the commercial transportation of equines to slaughtering facilities, contact Dr. Tim Cordes, Senior Staff Veterinarian, National Center for Animal Health Programs, Certification and Control Team, VS, APHIS, 4700 River Road Unit 46, 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: Commercial Transport of Equines to Slaughter.

OMB Number: 0579-0160.

Type of Request: Extension of approval of an information collection.

Abstract: Under the Federal Agriculture Improvement and Reform Act of 1996 (“the Farm Bill”), Congress gave responsibility to the Secretary of Agriculture to regulate the commercial transportation within the United States of equines for slaughter. Sections 901-905 of the Farm Bill (7 U.S.C. 1901 note) authorized the Secretary to issue guidelines for the regulation of commercial transportation of equines for slaughter by persons regularly engaged in that activity within the United States. To fulfill this responsibility, the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture established regulations in title 9, part 98, of the Code of Federal Regulations.

The minimum standards cover, among other things, the food, water, and rest provided to such equines. The regulations require the owner/shipper of the equines to take certain actions in loading and transporting the equines and to certify that the commercial transportation meets certain requirements. Our regulations prohibit the commercial transportation to slaughter facilities of equines considered to be unfit for travel and the use of electric prods on such animals in commercial transportation to slaughter. The use of double-deck trailers for commercial transportation of equines to slaughtering facilities may not be used after December 7, 2006.

These regulations require the use of two information collection activities: (1) The preparation of an owner-shipper certificate for each equine transported to slaughter and (2) the collection of business information from any individual or other entity found to be transporting horses to a slaughtering facility.

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

The purpose of this notice is to solicit comments from 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 for 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 information collection, 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 information collection 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 0.052471 hours per response.

Respondents: Owners and shippers of slaughter horses and owners/operators of slaughtering facilities.

Estimated annual number of respondents: 200.

Estimated annual number of responses per respondent: 401.

Estimated annual number of responses: 80,100.

Estimated total annual burden on respondents: 4,203 hours. (Due to averaging, the total annual burden hours may not equal the product of the annual number of responses multiplied by the 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 8th day of October, 2003.

Peter Fernandez,

Acting Administrator, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.