[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 159 (Tuesday, August 18, 1998)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 44123-44124]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-22182]
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Rules and Regulations
Federal Register
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Federal Register / Vol. 63, No. 159 / Tuesday, August 18, 1998 /
Rules and Regulations
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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service
9 CFR Part 94
[Docket No. 98-002-2]
Change in Disease Status of Great Britain Because of Exotic
Newcastle Disease
AGENCY: Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, USDA.
ACTION: Final rule.
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SUMMARY: We are recognizing Great Britain as free of exotic Newcastle
disease (END). This action is based on information received from Great
Britain's Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, and Food, and is in
accordance with standards set by the Office International des
Epizooties for recognizing a country as free of END. This action will
relieve restrictions on the importation of carcasses, or parts or
products of carcasses, of poultry, game birds, or other birds from
Great Britain. It will relieve the END-specific restrictions on the
importation of eggs (other than hatching eggs) laid by poultry, game
birds, or other birds from Great Britain. This action will also relieve
the quarantine requirements for poultry hatching eggs imported from
Great Britain.
EFFECTIVE DATE: September 2, 1998.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dr. John Cougill, Staff Veterinarian,
Products Program, National Center for Import and Export, VS, APHIS,
4700 River Road Unit 40, Riverdale, MD 20737-1231, (301) 734-3399; or
e-mail: john.w.cougill@usda.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background
The regulations in 9 CFR part 94 (referred to below as the
regulations) govern the importation into the United States of specified
animals and animal products in order to prevent the introduction of
various animal diseases, including exotic Newcastle disease (END), into
the United States. END is a contagious, infectious, and communicable
disease of birds and poultry.
On April 21, 1998, we published in the Federal Register (63 FR
19667-19668, Docket No. 98-002-1) a proposal to recognize Great Britain
as free of exotic Newcastle disease (END). The proposed action was
based on information received from Great Britain's Ministry of
Agriculture, Fisheries, and Food, and standards set by the Office
International des Epizooties (OIE) for recognizing a country as free of
END. Recognizing Great Britain as free of END would relieve
restrictions on the importation of carcasses, or parts or products of
carcasses, of poultry, game girds, or other birds from Great Britain,
relieve the END-specific restrictions on the importation of eggs (other
than hatching eggs) laid by poultry, game birds, or other birds from
Great Britain, and relieve the quarantine requirements for poultry
hatching eggs imported from Great Britain.
We solicited comments concerning our proposal for 60 days ending
June 22, 1998. We did not receive any comments. Therefore, for the
reasons given in the proposed rule, we are adopting the proposed rule
as a final rule without change.
Effective Date
This is a substantive rule that relieves restrictions and, pursuant
to the provisions of 5 U.S.C. 553, may be made effective less than 30
days after publication in the Federal Register. This rule relieves
certain restrictions on the importation into the United States of
carcasses, or parts or products of carcasses, of poultry, game birds,
or other birds from Great Britain. We have determined that
approximately 2 weeks are needed to ensure that Animal and Plant Health
Inspection Service personnel at ports of entry receive official notice
of these changes in the regulations. Therefore, the Administrator of
the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service has determined that this
rule should be made effective 15 days after publication in the Federal
Register.
Executive Order 12866 and Regulatory Flexibility Act
This rule has been reviewed under Executive Order 12866. The rule
has been determined to be not significant for the purposes of Executive
Order 12866 and, therefore, has not been reviewed by the Office of
Management and Budget.
This rule will recognize Great Britain as free of END. This action
is based on information received from Great Britain's Ministry of
Agriculture, Fisheries, and Food and is in accordance with OIE
standards for recognizing a country as free of END. This rule will
relieve restrictions on the importation of carcasses, or parts or
products of carcasses, of poultry, game birds, or other birds from
Great Britain. It will relieve the END-specific restrictions on the
importation of eggs (other than hatching eggs) laid by poultry, game
birds, or other birds from Great Britain. This rule will also relieve
the quarantine requirements for poultry hatching eggs imported from
Great Britain.
The United States imports few eggs, only about 0.1 percent of U.S.
production. The United States is a very strong net exporter of poultry
products, with imports of only 3,546 metric tons and exports of more
than 2 million metric tons in 1996 (``World Trade Atlas,'' June 1997).
More than 99 percent of U.S. poultry product imports originate in
Canada. Prior to January 31, 1997, when APHIS removed Great Britain
from the list of END-free regions, U.S. imports of poultry products
from the United Kingdom, which includes Great Britain and Northern
Ireland, accounted for less than 2 percent of the total U.S. imports of
poultry products.1
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\1\ Trade data for Great Britain alone was not available.
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U.S. producers, consumers, and importers of poultry products may be
potentially affected by this rule. However, because the volume of
poultry products previously imported from the United Kingdom was so
small compared to the amount produced domestically, and because the
total volume of overall poultry product imports is also very small,
little or no impact on consumer and producer prices and on importers is
expected.
Under these circumstances, the Administrator of the Animal and
Plant Health Inspection Service has
[[Page 44124]]
determined that this action will not have a significant economic impact
on a substantial number of small entities.
Executive Order 12988
This rule has been reviewed under Executive Order 12988, Civil
Justice Reform. This rule: (1) Preempts all State and local laws and
regulations that are inconsistent with this rule; (2) has no
retroactive effect; and (3) does not require administrative proceedings
before parties may file suit in court challenging this rule.
Paperwork Reduction Act
This rule contains no new information collection or recordkeeping
requirements under the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. 3501
et seq.).
List of Subjects in 9 CFR Part 94
Animal diseases, Imports, Livestock, Meat and meat products, Milk,
Poultry and poultry products, Reporting and recordkeeping requirements.
Accordingly, we are amending 9 CFR part 94 as follows:
PART 94--RINDERPEST, FOOT-AND-MOUTH DISEASE, FOWL PEST (FOWL
PLAGUE), EXOTIC NEWCASTLE DISEASE, AFRICAN SWINE FEVER, HOG
CHOLERA, AND BOVINE SPONGIFORM ENCEPHALOPATHY: PROHIBITED AND
RESTRICTED IMPORTATIONS
1. The authority citation for part 94 continues to read as follows:
Authority: 7 U.S.C. 147a, 150ee, 161, 162, and 450; 19 U.S.C.
1306; 21 U.S.C. 111, 114a, 134a, 134b, 134c, 134f, 136, and 136a; 31
U.S.C. 9701; 42 U.S.C. 4331 and 4332; 7 CFR 2.22, 2.80, and
371.2(d).
Sec. 94.6 [Amended]
2. In Sec. 94.6, paragraph (a)(2) is amended by adding the words
``Great Britain (England, Scotland, Wales, and the Isle of Man),''
immediately after the word ``Finland,''.
Done in Washington, DC, this 10th day of August 1998.
Joan M. Arnoldi,
Acting Administrator, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.
[FR Doc. 98-22182 Filed 8-17-98; 8:45 am]
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