[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 133 (Tuesday, July 12, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Pages 45121-45122]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2016-16460]
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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service
[Docket No. APHIS-2016-0013]
Notice of Availability of Proposed Changes to the National
Poultry Improvement Plan Program Standards
AGENCY: Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, USDA.
ACTION: Notice of availability.
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SUMMARY: We are advising the public that proposed changes to the
National Poultry Improvement Plan Program Standards are available for
review and comment.
DATES: We will consider all comments that we receive on or before
August 11, 2016.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments by either of the following methods:
Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to http://www.regulations.gov/#!docketDetail;D=APHIS-2016-0013.
Postal Mail/Commercial Delivery: Send your comment to
Docket No. APHIS-2016-0013, Regulatory Analysis and Development, PPD,
APHIS, Station 3A-03.8, 4700 River Road Unit 118, Riverdale, MD 20737-
1238.
The proposed standards and any comments we receive may be viewed at
http://www.regulations.gov/#!docketDetail;D=APHIS-2016-0013 or in our
reading room, which 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 (202)
799-7039 before coming.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dr. Denise Brinson, DVM, Senior
Coordinator, National Poultry Improvement Plan, VS, APHIS, USDA, 1506
Klondike Road, Suite 101, Conyers, GA 30094-5104; (770) 922-3496.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The National Poultry Improvement Plan
(NPIP), also referred to below as ``the Plan,'' is a cooperative
Federal-State-Industry mechanism for controlling certain poultry
diseases. The Plan consists of a variety of programs intended to
prevent and control poultry diseases. Participation in all Plan
programs is voluntary, but breeding flocks, hatcheries, and dealers
must first qualify as ``U.S. Pullorum-Typhoid Clean'' as a condition
for participating in the other Plan programs.
The Plan identifies States, flocks, hatcheries, dealers, and
slaughter plants that meet certain disease control standards specified
in the Plan's various programs. As a result, customers can buy poultry
that has tested clean of certain diseases or that has been produced
under disease-prevention conditions.
The regulations in 9 CFR parts 56, 145, 146, and 147 (referred to
below as the regulations) contain the provisions of the Plan. The
Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) of the U.S.
Department of Agriculture (USDA) amends these provisions from time to
time to incorporate new scientific information and technologies within
the Plan.
In the past, APHIS has updated the regulations once every 2 years,
following the Biennial Plan Conference of the NPIP General Conference
Committee. The NPIP General Conference Committee advises the Secretary
on poultry health and represents cooperating State agencies and poultry
industry members. During its meetings and Biennial Conferences, the
Committee discusses significant poultry health issues and makes
recommendations to improve the NPIP.
However, while changes in diagnostic science, testing technology,
and best practices for maintaining sanitation are continual, the
rulemaking process can be lengthy. As a result, the regulations have,
at times, become outdated. To remedy this problem, we determined that
we needed a more flexible process for amending provisions of the Plan.
On July 9, 2014, we published in the Federal Register (79 FR 38752-
38768, Docket No. APHIS-2011-0101) a final rule \1\ that, among other
things, amended the regulations by removing tests and detailed testing
procedures, as well as sanitation procedures, from part 147, and making
these available in an NPIP Program Standards document.\2\ The rule
[[Page 45122]]
also amended the regulations to provide for the Program Standards
document to be updated through the issuance of a notice in the Federal
Register followed by a period of public comment. The latter change was
intended to enable us to make the NPIP program more effective by
allowing us to update Plan provisions without the need for rulemaking.
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\1\ To view the final rule and related documents, go to http://www.regulations.gov/#!docketDetail;D=APHIS-2011-0101.
\2\ This document may be viewed on the NPIP Web site at http://www.poultryimprovement.org/documents/ProgramStandardsAugust2014.pdf,
or by writing to the Service at National Poultry Improvement Plan,
APHIS, USDA, 1506 Klondike Road, Suite 101, Conyers, GA 30094.
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The Committee recently voted to amend the Program Standards by
creating provisions for compartmentalization of primary breeding
poultry establishments and approval of compartment components such as
farms, feedmills, hatcheries, and egg depots. The urgency of adding
such provisions to the Program Standards was reinforced by the
devastating highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) outbreak of 2014-
2015, which highlighted the enormous impact trade restrictions can have
on distributing breeding stock to customers around the globe.
The regulations at 9 CFR 145.45, 145.74, and 145.84 provide the
basis for compartmentalization of poultry primary breeding companies.
Compartmentalization is a procedure that a country may implement to
define and manage animal subpopulations of distinct health status and
common biosecurity program within its territory, in accordance with the
guidelines in the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE)
Terrestrial Animal Health Code, for the purpose of disease control and
international trade. Compartmentalization is distinct from
regionalization, which involves recognition of geographical zones of a
country that can be identified and characterized by their level of risk
for different diseases, but the two are not mutually exclusive. When
regionalization is not feasible, APHIS may seek to preserve trade with
key countries in the face of outbreaks of HPAI and other diseases
through compartmentalization. Compartmentalization may also enable
continued interstate movement of breeding stock to domestic customers
and operations if future low pathogenic avian influenza and/or HPAI
outbreaks occur.
We are advising the public that we have prepared updates to the
NPIP Program Standards document. The proposed updates would amend the
Program Standards by adding provisions for compartmentalization of
primary breeding poultry establishments and approval of compartment
components such as farms, feedmills, hatcheries, and egg depots, as
recommended by the General Conference Committee. Included in the
proposed additions are requirements for applying for
compartmentalization of facilities and for facility design and
management, as well as an outline of the auditing system APHIS will use
to evaluate compartments and their component operations.
After reviewing any comments we receive on the proposed updates, we
will publish a second notice in the Federal Register announcing our
decision regarding the proposed changes.
Paperwork Reduction Act
In accordance with section 3507(d) of the Paperwork Reduction Act
of 1995 (44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.), we have determined that there are
reporting and recordkeeping burdens associated with the
compartmentalization provisions we are considering. We will publish a
separate document in the Federal Register, announcing our determination
of burden and soliciting comments on it.
Authority: 7 U.S.C. 8301-8317; 7 CFR 2.22, 2.80, and 371.4.
Done in Washington, DC, this 6th day of July 2016.
Kevin Shea,
Administrator, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.
[FR Doc. 2016-16460 Filed 7-11-16; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-34-P