Notice2022-21729
Concurrence With World Organization for Animal Health's Risk Designation for Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy for Ireland
Primary source
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Published
October 6, 2022
Issuing agencies
Agriculture DepartmentAnimal and Plant Health Inspection Service
Abstract
We are advising the public of our decision to concur with the World Organization for Animal Health's (WOAH's) bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) risk designation for Ireland. The WOAH recognizes Ireland as being of negligible risk for BSE. We are taking this action based on our review of information supporting the WOAH's risk designation for Ireland.
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 87 Issue 193 (Thursday, October 6, 2022)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 193 (Thursday, October 6, 2022)]
[Notices]
[Pages 60641-60642]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2022-21729]
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Notices
Federal Register
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Federal Register / Vol. 87, No. 193 / Thursday, October 6, 2022 /
Notices
[[Page 60641]]
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service
[Docket No. APHIS-2022-0005]
Concurrence With World Organization for Animal Health's Risk
Designation for Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy for Ireland
AGENCY: Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, Department of
Agriculture (USDA).
ACTION: Notice.
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SUMMARY: We are advising the public of our decision to concur with the
World Organization for Animal Health's (WOAH's) bovine spongiform
encephalopathy (BSE) risk designation for Ireland. The WOAH recognizes
Ireland as being of negligible risk for BSE. We are taking this action
based on our review of information supporting the WOAH's risk
designation for Ireland.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dr. Rebecca Gordon, Senior Staff
Officer, Regionalization Evaluation Services, Veterinary Services,
APHIS, 920 Main Campus Drive, Raleigh, NC, 27606; (919) 855-7741;
email: <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#9edfedf5ccfbf9f7f1f0fff2f7e4ffeaf7f1f0deebedfaffb0f9f1e8"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="8acbf9e1d8efede3e5e4ebe6e3f0ebfee3e5e4cafff9eeeba4ede5fc">[email protected]</span></a>.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The regulations in 9 CFR part 92 subpart B,
``Importation of Animals and Animal Products; Procedures for Requesting
BSE Risk Status Classification With Regard To Bovines'' (referred to
below as the regulations), set forth the process by which the Animal
and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) classifies regions for
bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) risk. Section 92.5 of the
regulations provides that all countries of the world are considered by
APHIS to be in one of three BSE risk categories: Negligible risk,
controlled risk, or undetermined risk. These risk categories are
defined in Sec. 92.1. Any region that is not classified by APHIS as
presenting either negligible risk or controlled risk for BSE is
considered to present an undetermined risk. The list of those regions
classified by APHIS as having either negligible risk or controlled risk
can be accessed on the APHIS website at <a href="https://www.aphis.usda.gov/aphis/ourfocus/animalhealth/animal-and-animal-product-import-information/animal-health-status-of-regions">https://www.aphis.usda.gov/aphis/ourfocus/animalhealth/animal-and-animal-product-import-information/animal-health-status-of-regions</a>. The list can also be
obtained by writing to APHIS at Regionalization Evaluation Services,
Veterinary Services, APHIS, 4700 River Road Unit 38, Riverdale, MD
20737-1238.
Under the regulations, APHIS may classify a region for BSE in one
of two ways. One way is for regions that have not received a risk
classification from the World Organization for Animal Health (WOAH) \1\
to request classification by APHIS. The other way is for APHIS to
concur with the classification given to a country or region by the
WOAH.
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\1\ On May 28, 2022, the World Organization for Animal Health
announced a change to its acronym from OIE to WOAH to match its full
name. See <a href="https://www.woah.org/en/the-world-organisation-for-animal-health-launches-its-refreshed-brand-identity/">https://www.woah.org/en/the-world-organisation-for-animal-health-launches-its-refreshed-brand-identity/</a>.
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If the WOAH has classified a region as either BSE negligible risk
or BSE controlled risk, APHIS will seek information to support
concurrence with the WOAH classification. This information may be
publicly available information, or APHIS may request that regions
supply the same information given to the WOAH. APHIS will announce in
the Federal Register, subject to public comment, its intent to concur
with a WOAH classification.
In accordance with this process, we published a notice \2\ in the
Federal Register on April 14, 2022 (87 FR 22168- 22169, Docket No.
APHIS-2022-0005), in which we announced our intent to concur with the
WOAH risk classification of Ireland as being a region of negligible
risk for BSE. We solicited comments on the notice for 60 days ending on
June 13, 2022. We received one comment by that date, from a private
citizen.
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\2\ To view the notice, go to <a href="http://www.regulations.gov">www.regulations.gov</a> and enter
APHIS-2022-0005 in the Search field.
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The commenter claimed that we provided no evidence to support that
BSE levels in Ireland's cattle population approach zero.
Neither the notice nor the conclusions of the WOAH referenced in
the notice claimed that BSE cases in Ireland approach zero. Rather, the
WOAH classified Ireland as BSE negligible risk. While negligible risk
indicates that the occurrence of BSE is very rare, it does not
translate to zero risk, nor does it imply the expectation or assumption
that the risk will become zero in the future. Atypical BSE may still be
detected in countries or regions with a negligible risk status. The
atypical BSE forms, L-type and H-type, occur spontaneously at very low
levels in all cattle populations.
The commenter also stated that relying on slaughterhouses/abattoirs
to find cases of BSE is an unreliable surveillance method.
Because there is currently no test to detect BSE in a live animal,
sampling for BSE is often performed in the slaughterhouse/abattoir
environment. It may also be performed at rendering or salvage
facilities, on-farm, at veterinary clinics, or at veterinary diagnostic
laboratories. Ireland provided documentation for the standard operating
procedures for active surveillance for BSE in cattle and documented
that the samples collected are representative of the cattle population
in the country. Furthermore, Ireland provided documentation that BSE
surveillance exceeded Type B surveillance minimum requirements in
Chapter 11.4 of the WOAH Terrestrial Animal Health Code. As the
commenter provided no information to support the claim that this
surveillance is unreliable, we continue to concur with the WOAH risk
classification of Ireland as being a region of negligible risk for BSE.
The commenter also claimed that laboratories in general lack the
skills necessary to detect BSE.
All BSE confirmatory testing in Ireland is carried out in the
Central Veterinary Research Laboratory in Backweston, which is the
National Reference Laboratory (NRL) for transmissible spongiform
encephalopathies in Ireland. The confirmatory tests used are
histopathology, immunohistochemistry using antibody F89, and immunoblot
(Biorad TeSeE). All confirmatory and discriminatory tests used are
accredited to the international standard for laboratories (IS0-17025).
All rapid
[[Page 60642]]
screening for BSE is conducted with European Union-approved rapid tests
at Rapid Test Laboratories that are approved and monitored by the NRL.
Ireland provided documentation that BSE diagnostic procedures and the
reference laboratory facilities (NRL and Rapid Test Laboratories) meet
the requirements in the WOAH Manual of Diagnostic Tests and Vaccines
for Terrestrial Animals. As the commenter provided no information to
support the claim that these laboratories or tests are unable to
accurately detect BSE, we continue to concur with the WOAH risk
classification of Ireland as being a region of negligible risk for BSE.
Therefore, in accordance with the regulations in Sec. 92.5, we are
announcing our decision to concur with the WOAH risk classification for
Ireland.
Congressional Review Act
Pursuant to the Congressional Review Act (5 U.S.C. 801 et seq.),
the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs designated this action
as not a major rule, as defined by 5 U.S.C. 804(2).
Authority: 7 U.S.C. 1622 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 30th day of September 2022.
Anthony Shea,
Administrator, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.
[FR Doc. 2022-21729 Filed 10-5-22; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-34-P
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