Addition of China to the List of Regions Affected by African Swine Fever

• Citation: 84 FR 11281
• Record Number: 2019-05680
• Published date: 26 March 2019
• Section: Notices
• Court: Agriculture Department,Animal And Plant Health Inspection Service

Federal Register, Volume 84 Issue 58 (Tuesday, March 26, 2019)

[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 58 (Tuesday, March 26, 2019)]
                [Notices]
                [Pages 11281-11282]
                From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
                [FR Doc No: 2019-05680]
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                DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
                Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service
                [Docket No. APHIS-2018-0037]
                Addition of China to the List of Regions Affected by African
                Swine Fever
                AGENCY: Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, USDA.
                ACTION: Notice.
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                SUMMARY: We are advising the public that we have added China to the
                list of regions that the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service
                considers to be affected with African swine fever (ASF). We are taking
                this action because of the confirmation of ASF in China.
                DATES: China was added to the APHIS list of regions considered affected
                with ASF on August 6, 2018.
                FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dr. Joyce Bowling-Heyward, DVM,
                National Director, Regionalization Evaluation Services, Strategy and
                Policy, VS, APHIS, USDA, 4700 River Road Unit 39, Riverdale, MD 20737;
                (301) 851-3350.
                SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The regulations in 9 CFR part 94 (referred
                to below as the regulations) govern the importation of specified
                animals and animal products to prevent the introduction into the United
                States of various animal diseases, including foot-and-mouth disease,
                bovine spongiform encephalopathy, swine vesicular disease, classical
                swine fever, and African swine fever (ASF). These are dangerous and
                destructive diseases of ruminants and swine.
                 Sections 94.8 and 94.17 of the regulations contain requirements
                governing the importation into the United States of pork and pork
                products from regions of the world where ASF exists or is reasonably
                believed to exist and imposes restrictions on the importation of pork
                and pork products into the United States from those regions. ASF is a
                highly contagious disease of wild and domestic swine that can spread
                rapidly in swine populations with extremely high rates of morbidity and
                mortality. A list of regions where ASF exists or is reasonably believed
                to exist is maintained on the Animal and
                [[Page 11282]]
                Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) website at https://www.aphis.usda.gov/aphis/ourfocus/animalhealth/animal-and-animal-product-import-information/animal-health-status-of-regions/.
                 APHIS receives notice of ASF outbreaks from veterinary officials of
                the exporting country, from the World Organization for Animal Health
                (OIE), or from other publically available sources the Administrator
                determines to be reliable. In a report dated August 6, 2018, the
                veterinary authorities of China reported to the OIE confirmation of an
                ASF outbreak.
                 Although the importation of most swine commodities from China into
                the United States is already restricted based on that country's
                classical swine fever, foot-and-mouth disease, and swine vesicular
                disease status, APHIS has determined that it is necessary to impose
                ASF-related restrictions on the importation of pork and pork products
                from China into the United States.
                 Therefore, in response to this outbreak, APHIS has added China to
                the list of regions where ASF exists or is reasonably believed to
                exist. As a result, pork and pork products, including casings, from
                China are subject to APHIS import restrictions designed to mitigate the
                risk of ASF introduction into the United States.
                 Authority: 7 U.S.C. 1633, 7701-7772, 7781-7786, and 8301-8317;
                21 U.S.C. 136 and 136a; 31 U.S.C. 9701; 7 CFR 2.22, 2.80, and 371.4.
                 Done in Washington, DC, this 20th day of March 2019.
                Kevin Shea,
                Administrator, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.
                [FR Doc. 2019-05680 Filed 3-25-19; 8:45 am]
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