01-26594. 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 the Virus-Serum-Toxin Act and regulations.

DATES:

We invite you to comment on this docket. We will consider all comments that we receive by December 24, 2001.

ADDRESSES:

Please send four copies of your comment (an original and three copies) to: Docket No. 01-086-1, Regulatory Analysis and Development, PPD, APHIS, Suite 3C03, 4700 River Road Unit 118, Riverdale, MD 20737-1238. Please state that your comment refers to Docket No. 01-086-1.

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 on the Virus-Serum-Toxin Act and regulations, contact Dr. Albert Morgan, Chief Staff Officer, Center for Veterinary Biologics, Operational Support Staff, VS, APHIS, 4700 River Road Unit 148, Riverdale MD 20737, [phone]. For copies of more detailed information on the information collection, contact Mrs. Celeste Sickles, APHIS' Information Collection Coordinator, at [phone].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Title: Virus-Serum-Toxin Act and Regulations.

OMB Number: 0579-0013.

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

Abstract: The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) of the U.S. Department of Agriculture is responsible for assuring that veterinary biological products are pure, safe, potent, and effective. This program is conducted under the Virus-Serum-Toxin Act (21 U.S.C. 151, et seq.) and the regulations in 9 CFR, chapter I, subchapter E. Veterinary biological products are defined as all viruses, serums, toxins (excluding substances that are selectively toxic to microorganisms, e.g., antibiotics), or analogous products at any stage of production, shipment, distribution, or sale, which are intended for use in the treatment of animals and which act primarily through the direct stimulation, supplementation, enhancement, or modulation of the immune system or immune response. The term “biological products” includes, but is not limited to, vaccines, bacterins, allergens, antibodies, antitoxins, toxoids, immunostimulants, certain cytokines, antigenic or immunizing components of live organisms, and diagnostic components that are of natural or synthetic origin or that are derived from synthesizing or altering various substances or components of substances, such as microorganisms, genes or genetic sequences, carbohydrates, proteins, antigens, allergens, or antibodies.

To accomplish its mission, APHIS issues licenses to qualified establishments that produce biological products and issues permits to importers of such products. We also enforce requirements concerning production, packaging, labeling, and shipping of these products and set standards for the testing of these products.

Fulfilling this responsibility requires us to use certain information collection activities such as establishment license applications, product license applications, product import permit applications, product and test report forms, and field study summaries. This information helps us to ensure that biological products used in the United States are pure, safe, potent, and effective.

If we did not collect this information, we would be unable to carry out this mission.

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 these information collection activities. 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 2.62813 hours per response.

Respondents: U.S. importers and exporters of biological products, shippers, operators of establishments that produce or test biological products or that engage in product research and development.

Estimated annual number of respondents: 200.

Estimated annual number of responses per respondent: 97.36.

Estimated annual number of responses: 19,472.

Estimated total annual burden on respondents: 51,175 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 16th day of October 2001.

Bobby R. Acord,

Acting Administrator, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.