[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 221 (Wednesday, November 17, 1999)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 62569-62570]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-30020]
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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service
9 CFR Part 52
[Docket No. 98-123-5]
Pseudorabies in Swine; Receipt of Additional Funds and Extension
of Indemnity Program
AGENCY: Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, USDA.
ACTION: Notice of receipt of additional funds and extension of
indemnity program.
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SUMMARY: In an interim rule published in the Federal Register on
January 15, 1999, and effective as of January 12, 1999, we established
animal health regulations to provide for the payment of indemnity by
the United States Department of Agriculture for the voluntary
depopulation of herds of swine known to be infected with pseudorabies.
In that interim rule, we announced that the indemnity program would end
when funds allocated for the program were depleted, but no later than 6
months after publication of the interim rule. On July 12, 1999, we
extended the program beyond the initial 6 months until further notice.
We are giving notice that additional funds have been allocated for the
program and that the indemnity program will continue until funds are
depleted or until further notice.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dr. Reed Rollo, Senior Staff
Veterinarian, VS, APHIS, USDA, 4700 River Road Unit 46, Riverdale, MD
20737-1231; (301) 734-5286.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background
The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service's regulations in 9
CFR part 52 govern the payment of indemnity to owners of herds of swine
that are depopulated because they are infected with pseudorabies.
Pseudorabies is a contagious, infectious, and communicable disease of
livestock, primarily swine. The disease, also known as Aujesky's
disease, mad itch, and infectious bulbar paralysis, is caused by a
herpes virus and is known to cause reproductive problems, including
abortion and stillborn death in neonatal pigs, and, occasionally, death
in breeding and finishing hogs.
A Federal eradication program for pseudorabies was implemented in
the United States in 1989. The program is cooperative in nature and
involves Federal, State, and industry participation. Industry/State/
Federal pseudorabies eradication efforts have been markedly successful.
In 1992, for instance, approximately 8,000 herds of swine nationwide
were known to be infected with the disease. At the end of 1998,
approximately 1,300 herds were known to be infected. This represented
slightly less than 1 percent of the herds of swine in the United
States. The goal of the cooperative pseudorabies eradication program is
the elimination of pseudorabies in the United States in the year 2000.
However, in 1998, market conditions in the swine industry
jeopardized the progress of the pseudorabies eradication program.
Depressed market conditions caused some producers to eliminate the
costs they had been incurring to participate in the eradication
program. Continued cessation of eradication efforts, particularly the
elimination of herd vaccination, would likely have resulted in an
increase in the number of herds infected with pseudorabies. This growth
in pseudorabies-infected herds would likely have extended the amount of
time necessary to eradicate pseudorabies and would ultimately have cost
both the industry and the Federal and State governments additional time
and monies in eradication efforts.
In response to this threat to the progress of the pseudorabies
eradication program, we published an interim rule in the Federal
Register (64 FR 2545-2550, Docket No. 98-123-2) on January 15, 1999, to
establish an accelerated pseudorabies eradication program. In order to
carry out the accelerated pseudorabies eradication program, the
Secretary of Agriculture authorized the transfer of $80 million in
funds from the Commodity Credit Corporation.
Under the accelerated program, we began payment of fair market
value to owners who depopulated infected herds. In addition to
indemnity for the value of the animals, we have been providing funding
for trucking costs to disposal, for euthanasia and disposal costs, and
for cleaning and disinfection of conveyances used for transporting the
swine to disposal.
In our January 15, 1999, interim rule, we stated that the indemnity
program would extend 6 months from the date of publication of the
interim rule (until July 15, 1999) or until funds allocated for the
program were depleted, whichever came first. Based on the time we
estimated to be necessary to depopulate all known infected herds should
all owners take part, we projected that 6 months would be long enough
to complete the program but
[[Page 62570]]
short enough to encourage rapid depopulation of infected herds.
Because, as of July 15, 1999, some States were still conducting
their eradication programs, we considered it important to the
pseudorabies eradication effort in the United States to continue our
accelerated eradication program beyond that date. Therefore, on July
12, 1999, we informed the public in a notice in the Federal Register
(64 FR 37395, Docket No. 98-123-4) that we would continue the
accelerated eradication program until further notice.
To date, the accelerated pseudorabies eradication program, in
combination with surveillance and quarantine under the ongoing standard
pseudorabies eradication program, has significantly reduced the number
of pseudorabies-infected herds in the United States. All States have
eliminated or virtually eliminated their pseudorabies-infected herds,
except for Indiana, Iowa, and Minnesota, which are still in the midst
of substantial eradication programs.
At the start of the accelerated pseudorabies eradication program,
1,291 infected herds were known to exist in the United States. Enhanced
surveillance for pseudorabies under the accelerated program contributed
to the detection of another 550 infected herds. Of that total number of
infected herds, 476 have been released from quarantine this year under
the requirements of the ongoing standard pseudorabies eradication
program and another 655 have been depopulated under the accelerated
eradication program.
Due to increased surveillance efforts associated with our
accelerated eradication program, we expect to discover approximately
200 more infected herds in FY 2000. In order to pay indemnity for those
herds and for herds already known to be infected, we have received an
additional $40 million to conduct the accelerated eradication program
and will continue the accelerated program until further notice. The
accelerated program will be operated in combination with the ongoing
standard pseudorabies eradication program.
Authority: 21 U.S.C. 111-113, 114, 114a, 114a-1, 120, 121, 125,
and 134b; 7 CFR 2.22, 2.80, and 371.2(d).
Done in Washington, DC, this 10th day of November, 1999.
Bobby R. Acord,
Acting Administrator, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.
[FR Doc. 99-30020 Filed 11-16-99; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-34-P
