Notice of Request for Extension of a Currently Approved Information Collection

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service

[Docket No. 97-045-1]

Notice of Request for Extension of a Currently Approved

Information Collection

AGENCY: Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, USDA.

ACTION: Approved information collection extension; comment request.

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SUMMARY: In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this

notice announces the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service's

intention to request approval of information collections that it uses

in preventing the introduction and spread of livestock and poultry

diseases through the importation into the United States of restricted

and controlled materials.

DATES: Comments on this notice must be received by August 11, 1997.

ADDRESSES: Send comments regarding the accuracy of burden estimate,

ways to minimize the burden (such as the use of automated collection

techniques or other forms of information technology), or any other

aspect of this collection of information to: Docket No. 97-045-1,

Regulatory Analysis and Development, PPD, APHIS, suite 3C03, 4700 River

Road Unit 118, Riverdale, MD 20737-1238. Please send an original and

three copies, and state that your comments refer to Docket 97-045-1.

Comments received may be inspected at USDA, room 1141, South Building,

14th Street and Independence Avenue SW., Washington, DC, between 8 a.m.

and 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, except holidays. Persons wishing

to inspect comments are requested to call ahead on (202) 690-2817 to

facilitate entry into the comment reading room.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION: For information regarding regulations to

prevent the introduction and spread of livestock and poultry diseases

through the importation into the United States of restricted and

controlled materials, contact Dr. Gary Colgrove, Chief Staff

Veterinarian, National Center for Import and Export, VS, APHIS, 4700

River Road, Unit 38, Riverdale, MD 20737-1231, (301) 734-3276; or e-

mail: GC[email protected]. For copies of more detailed information

on the information collection, contact Ms. Cheryl Groves, APHIS'

Information Collection Coordinator, at (301) 734-5086.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Title: Importation of Restricted and Controlled Animal and Poultry

Products and Byproducts, Organisms, and Vectors into the United States.

OMB Number: 0579-0015.

Expiration Date of Approval: August 31, 1997.

Type of Request: Extension of a currently approved information

collection.

Abstract: The United States Department of Agriculture restricts and

controls the importation of certain animal and poultry products and

byproducts, organisms, and vectors to prevent the introduction and

spread of livestock and poultry diseases into the United States.

To do this, we must collect information from a variety of

individuals, both within and outside the United States, who are

involved in handling, transporting, and importing these items.

Collecting this information is critical to our mission of ensuring that

these imported items do not present a disease risk to the livestock and

poultry populations of the United States.

If these information collections are not conducted, the United

States will be at increased risk of an exotic disease incursion. The

introduction of such diseases as rinderpest, foot-and-mouth disease,

hog cholera, African swine fever, swine vesicular disease, and exotic

Newcastle disease would have an

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immeasurable impact upon the U.S. livestock and poultry industries, not

only in the area of animal health, but also in the realm of

international trade.

Collecting this information requires us to use a number of forms

and documents, which are described below. We are asking the Office of

Management and Budget (OMB) to approve our use of these information

gathering tools.

The following forms and documents are currently in use:

VS Form 16-25 (Application for Approval or Report of Inspection of

Establishments Handling Restricted Animal Byproducts or Controlled

Materials) is a dual purpose form. It is an application for those

establishments requesting approval to handle restricted imported animal

byproducts and controlled materials. It also serves as a report of

inspections of establishments to ensure that restricted and controlled

imports are being handled in compliance with our requirements.

VS Form 16-26 (Agreement for Handling Restricted Imports of Animal

Byproducts and Controlled Materials) is a form signed by an operator of

an establishment wishing to handle restricted or controlled materials

in which the operator agrees to comply with all requirements for

handling the restricted and controlled materials.

VS Form 16-3 (Application for Permit to Import Controlled

Materials/Import or Transport Organisms or Vectors) is the application

and agreement form used by individuals seeking a permit.

Certain sections of 9 CFR parts 94 and 95 specify that various

categories of animal products, byproducts, and controlled materials may

be imported into the United States if authorization for such

importation has been granted by the Administrator, Animal and Plant

Health Inspection Service (APHIS). Such permission is given only when

the Administrator is satisfied that the importation will not constitute

an undue risk to U.S. livestock and poultry.

9 CFR part 122 specifies that organisms that present a disease risk

to animals or poultry, or vectors of such disease agents, may not be

imported or moved interstate without a permit issued by the U.S.

Department of Agriculture. Part 122 specifies that importers must

obtain such permits prior to the importation or interstate transport of

the organism or vector.

Prospective importers make application for import authorization by

completing the appropriate sections of VS Form 16-3. APHIS personnel

must have the essential data concerning the proposed importation in

order to evaluate the request and determine what safeguard measures are

appropriate in each case and to advise APHIS port and border personnel

regarding clearance of arriving shipments.

Certificates. Under 9 CFR parts 94, 95, and 96, certain animal and

poultry products must have a certificate from the national government

of the exporting country to be eligible for importation into the United

States. These certificates are required to verify that the animal or

poultry products meet the sanitary requirements of our regulations

(e.g., originated from disease-free animals and from animals native to

the country of origin, or were prepared in a certain manner in an

approved establishment).

The certificate accompanies each shipment to the United States.

Upon arrival of the shipment, the certificate is presented to APHIS

port inspectors who evaluate the information according to the

permission authorization and 9 CFR parts 94, 95, and 96.

The certificate, signed by a full-time salaried veterinary official

from the country of origin, or other authorized person, provides us

with information that enables us to determine whether an article meets

our requirements for importation.

Seals. Certain animal or poultry products and byproducts must be

shipped in sealed containers or holds to ensure that the integrity of

the shipment is not violated. The seals must be numbered, the numbers

of the seals must be recorded on the government certificate that

accompanies the shipment, and the seals must not have been tampered

with. USDA inspectors at the port of entry inspect the seals and verify

that the seals are intact and that the numbers match those on the

certificates.

Compliance agreement, recordkeeping requirements. Certain animal or

poultry products and byproducts are required to be processed in a

certain manner in an establishment in a foreign country before being

exported to the United States. We require an official of the processing

plant to sign a written agreement prepared by APHIS. By signing this

agreement, this official certifies that the animal products being

exported to the United States have been processed in a manner approved

by USDA, and that adequate records of these exports are being

maintained.

Marking requirements. Before certain animal products may enter the

United States, they must be marked, with an ink stamp or brand, to

indicate that the products have originated from an approved meat

processing establishment and have been inspected by appropriate

veterinary authorities. The mark is applied to the meat product by

processing plant personnel.

The following forms and documents were proposed for use in APHIS

Docket No. 94-106-1, ``Importation of Animals and Animal Products'' (61

FR 16978-17105), and were given preliminary approval under OMB control

number 0579-0015. Although these requirements may change (a final rule

has not yet been published), we are seeking a continuation of the

preliminary approval.

Foreign meat inspection certificate for importation of fresh meat

from FMD or rinderpest, risk class R2 regions. This certificate,

completed by a veterinary official of the exporting region, certifies

that the meat product has originated from a region that has been

assigned to an R2 risk class.

Foreign meat inspection certificate for importation of fresh meat

from FMD or Rinderpest, risk class R3 regions. This certificate,

completed by a veterinary official of the exporting region, certifies

that the meat product has originated from a region that has been

assigned to an R3 risk class.

Certification of a national government for importation of pork or

pork products from a swine vesicular disease-free region. This is a

statement, completed by a government official of an exporting region,

certifying the U.S. destined pork or pork products originated in a

region that is free from swine vesicular disease.

Cleaning and disinfecting methods. This is a letter from veterinary

officials of an exporting region stating that appropriate cleaning and

disinfecting methods have been applied to trucks, railroad cars, or

other means of conveyance used to transport certain animal products

destined for the United States.

The purpose of this notice is to solicit comments from the public

(as well as affected agencies) concerning these information collection

activities. We need this outside input to help us accomplish the

following:

(1) Evaluate whether the proposed 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

proposed 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

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appropriate, of automated, electronic, mechanical, and other collection

technologies, e.g., permitting electronic submission of responses.

Estimate of Burden: Public reporting burden for this collection of

information is estimated to average .45176 hours per response.

Respondents: Importers, shippers, foreign animal health

authorities.

Estimated Number of Respondents: 8,955.

Estimated Numbers of Responses per Respondent: 11.63.

Estimated Total Annual Burden on Respondents: 47,049 hours.

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 5th day of June 1997.

Bobby R. Acord,

Acting Administrator, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.

[FR Doc. 97-15437 Filed 6-11-97; 8:45 am]

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