[Federal Register: January 2, 2009 (Volume 74, Number 1)]
[Notices]
[Page 69-70]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr02ja09-14]
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Notices
Federal Register
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This section of the FEDERAL REGISTER contains documents other than rules
or proposed rules that are applicable to the public. Notices of hearings
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delegations of authority, filing of petitions and applications and agency
statements of organization and functions are examples of documents
appearing in this section.
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[[Page 69]]
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service
[Docket No. APHIS-2008-0121]
Notice of Availability of Evaluations of the Highly Pathogenic
Avian Influenza Subtype H5N1 Status of Germany and Poland
AGENCY: Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, USDA.
ACTION: Notice of availability and request for comments.
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SUMMARY: We are advising the public that the Animal and Plant Health
Inspection Service has prepared evaluations of the animal health status
of Germany and Poland relative to the H5N1 subtype of highly pathogenic
avian influenza (HPAI). The evaluations present our evaluation of the
HPAI H5N1 detection, control, and eradication measures in place in
Germany and Poland during outbreaks of HPAI in 2006 and 2007, as well
as our assessment of the present status of Germany and Poland with
respect to HPAI subtype H5N1. We are making these evaluations available
to the public for review and comment. If, after the close of the
comment period, APHIS can identify no additional risk factors that
would indicate that domestic poultry in Germany or Poland continue to
be affected with HPAI H5N1, we would conclude that the importation of
live birds, poultry carcasses, parts of carcasses, and eggs (other than
hatching eggs) of poultry, game birds, or other birds from the affected
regions of Germany and Poland presents a low risk of introducing HPAI
H5N1 into the United States.
DATES: We will consider all comments we receive prior to February 2,
2009.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments by either of the following methods:
Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to http://
www.regulations.gov/fdmspublic/component/
main?main=DocketDetail&d=APHIS=2008=0121 to submit or view comments and
to view supporting and related materials available electronically.
Postal Mail/Commercial Delivery: Please send two copies of
your comment to Docket No. APHIS-2008-0121, Regulatory Analysis and
Development, PPD, APHIS, Station 3A-03.8, 4700 River Road Unit 118,
Riverdale, MD 20737-1238. Please state that your comment refers to
Docket No. APHIS-2008-0121.
Reading Room: You may read any comments that we receive on the
evaluations 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 (202) 690-2817 before coming.
Other Information: Additional information about APHIS and its
programs is available on the Internet at http://www.aphis.usda.gov.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Javier Vargas, Animal Scientist,
Regionalization Evaluation Services Staff, National Center for Import
and Export, VS, APHIS, 4700 River Road Unit 38, Riverdale, MD 20737-
1231; (301) 734-0756.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background
Under the Animal Health Protection Act (7 U.S.C. 8301 et seq.), the
Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) has the authority to
prohibit or restrict the importation into the United States of animals,
animal products, and other articles in order to prevent the
introduction of diseases and pests into the U.S. livestock and poultry
populations.
Highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) is a zoonotic disease of
poultry. The H5N1 subtype of HPAI is an extremely infectious and fatal
form of the disease. HPAI can strike poultry quickly without any
warning signs of infection and, once established, can spread rapidly
from flock to flock. HPAI viruses can also be spread by manure,
equipment, vehicles, egg flats, crates, and people whose clothing or
shoes have come in contact with the virus. HPAI viruses can remain
viable at moderate temperatures for long periods in the environment and
can survive indefinitely in frozen material. The H5N1 subtype of HPAI
has been of particular concern because it has crossed the species
barrier and caused disease in humans.
On April 6, 2006, the German Federal Ministry of Consumer
Protection, Food, and Agriculture reported to the World Organization
for Animal Health (OIE) an outbreak of HPAI H5N1 in domestic poultry in
a turkey flock in the district of Muldental in the Federal State of
Saxony. This was the only HPAI H5N1 outbreak to occur in domestic
poultry in Germany during 2006.
In 2007, Germany reported six outbreaks of HPAI H5N1 in domestic
poultry, four in small hobby farms and two outbreaks on large duck
farms with 170,000 ducks on each farm. No additional reports of HPAI
H5N1 in Germany in either domestic poultry or wild birds were made
until October 9, 2008, when a small outbreak occurred in the district
of G[ouml]rlitz in the Federal State of Saxony following the
identification of HPAI H5N1 in a wild bird on a nearby lake.
To prevent the introduction of HPAI H5N1 into the United States,
APHIS designated Germany's districts of Muldental, Torgue-Oschatz,
Dobeln, Saalfeld-Rudolstadt, Schwandorf, Neustradt A.D. Aisch, Bamberg,
Kitzingen, Erlangen-Hochstadt, Oberhavel, Havelland, Ostprignitz-
Ruppin, Potsdam-Mittlemark, Uckermark, Mecklenburg-Strelitz, Prignitz,
Jerichower Land, Gorlitz, and Bautzen as regions where HPAI was
considered to exist and prohibited the importation of birds, poultry,
and poultry products from these regions into the United States.
In a document titled ``APHIS' Evaluation of the Status of High
Pathogenicity Avian Influenza H5N1 (HPAI H5N1) in Germany'' (October
2008), we present the results of our evaluation of the status of HPAI
H5N1 in domestic poultry in Germany in light of the actions taken by
German authorities since the outbreaks, and document our analysis of
the risk associated with allowing the importation of birds, poultry,
and poultry products from regions of
[[Page 70]]
Germany into the United States in the aftermath of the outbreaks.
On December 1, 2007, Poland's General Veterinary Inspectorate
reported an HPAI H5N1 outbreak in domestic poultry. This first outbreak
was detected in broiler turkeys, and between December 1 and December
22, 2007, Poland reported a total of 10 outbreaks to the OIE.
To prevent the introduction of HPAI H5N1 into the United States,
APHIS designated Poland's provinces of Warminsko-Mazurskie, Mazowiekie,
and Kujawsko-Pomorskie as regions where HPAI was considered to exist,
and prohibited the importation of birds, poultry, and poultry products
from these provinces into the United States.
In a document titled ``APHIS' Evaluation of the Status of High
Pathogenicity Avian Influenza H5N1 Virus in Poland'' (October 2008), we
present the results of our evaluation of the status of HPAI H5N1 in
domestic poultry in Poland in light of the actions taken by Polish
authorities since the outbreaks, and document our analysis of the risk
associated with allowing importation of birds, poultry, and poultry
products from Poland into the United States in the aftermath of the
outbreaks.
We based our evaluation of Germany's and Poland's HPAI H5N1 status
on the following critical factors:
Each region had been free of outbreaks of the H5N1 subtype
in its domestic poultry for at least 3 months as a result of effective
control measures taken by a competent veterinary infrastructure;
HPAI H5N1 was a notifiable disease in each region at the
time of the outbreak;
Each region had an ongoing disease awareness program in
place at the time of the outbreak;
Each region investigated notified or suspected occurrences
of the disease;
Each region had an effective surveillance program in place
that supported the detection and investigation of outbreaks;
Diagnostic and laboratory capabilities within each region
were both adequate and effective;
Each region undertook appropriate eradication and control
measures and movement restrictions in response to the outbreaks to
prevent further spread of disease; and
In each region, procedures used for repopulation of
affected premises included monitoring to demonstrate that HPAI H5N1 had
been eradicated from the premises.
Based on these factors, which are consistent with the OIE's
recommendations for reinstatement for trade with a country that has
experienced an HPAI H5N1 outbreak,\1\ our evaluations conclude that the
German Federal Ministry of Consumer Protection, Food and Agriculture
and Poland's General Veterinary Inspectorate were able to effectively
control and eradicate HPAI H5N1 in their respective domestic poultry
populations and that the German and Polish authorities have adequate
control measures in place to rapidly identify, control, and eradicate
the disease should it be reintroduced into their respective countries
in either wild birds or domestic poultry.
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\1\ OIE (2008). Risk Analysis. In, Terrestrial Animal Health
Code, 17th edition. Paris, World Organization for Animal Health:
Chapter 2.2 on Import Risk Analysis; Chapter 10.4 on Avian
Influenza. To view the document on the Internet, go to http://
www.oie.int/eng/normes/mcode/A_summry.htm?e1d11.
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We are making the evaluations available for public comment. We will
consider all comments that we receive on or before the date listed
under the heading DATES at the beginning of this notice.
If, after the close of the comment period, APHIS can identify no
additional risk factors that would indicate that domestic poultry in
regions of Germany or Poland continue to be affected with HPAI H5N1, we
would conclude that the importation of live birds, poultry carcasses,
parts of carcasses, and eggs (other than hatching eggs) of poultry,
game birds, or other birds from regions of Germany and Poland presents
a low risk of introducing HPAI H5N1 into the United States.
For Germany, we expect we would lift the restrictions we imposed in
response to the 2006 and 2007 outbreaks and maintain the restrictions
we imposed in response to the October 2008 outbreak until the European
Commission lifts the restrictions, at which point we would reevaluate
the HPAI H5N1 status of the district of G[ouml]rlitz in Saxony.
The evaluations may be viewed on the Regulations.gov Web site or in
our reading room (see ADDRESSES above for a link to Regulations.gov and
information on the location and hours of the reading room). You may
request paper copies of the evaluations by calling or writing to the
person listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT. Please refer to
the titles of the evaluations when requesting copies.
Done in Washington, DC, this 22nd day of December 2008.
Kevin Shea,
Acting Administrator, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.
[FR Doc. E8-31210 Filed 12-31-08; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-34-P