Notice2026-04316

Addition of Sri Lanka to the List of Regions Affected by African Swine Fever

Primary source

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Published
March 4, 2026
Effective
December 4, 2024

Issuing agencies

Agriculture DepartmentAnimal and Plant Health Inspection Service

Abstract

We are advising the public that we have added Sri Lanka to the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) list maintained on the APHIS website of regions considered to be affected by African swine fever (ASF). We have taken this action because of the confirmation of ASF in this country.

Full Text

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<title>Federal Register, Volume 91 Issue 42 (Wednesday, March 4, 2026)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 91, Number 42 (Wednesday, March 4, 2026)]
[Notices]
[Pages 10582-10583]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2026-04316]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service

[Docket No. APHIS-2025-0571]


Addition of Sri Lanka 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 Sri Lanka to the 
Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) list maintained on 
the APHIS website of regions considered to be affected by African swine 
fever (ASF). We have taken this action because of the confirmation of 
ASF in this country.

DATES: Sri Lanka was added to the list of regions APHIS considers to be 
affected with ASF, effective December 4, 2024.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dr. C. Aaron Monroy, APHIS Veterinary 
Services, Regionalization Evaluation Services, Strategy and Policy, VS, 
920 Main Campus Drive, Venture II, Raleigh, NC 27606; phone: (919) 855-
7207, email: <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#1e5f6d754c7b797771707f7277647f6a7771705e6b6d7a7f30797168"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="bdfcced6efd8dad4d2d3dcd1d4c7dcc9d4d2d3fdc8ced9dc93dad2cb">[email&#160;protected]</span></a>.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The regulations in 9 CFR part 94 (referred 
to below as the regulations) govern the importation of certain animals 
and animal products into the United States to prevent the introduction 
of various animal diseases, including African swine fever (ASF). ASF is 
a highly contagious disease of wild and domestic swine that can spread 
rapidly 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 Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) 
website at https://www.aphis.usda.gov/aphis/ourfocus/animalhealth/
animal-and-animal-product-import-

[[Page 10583]]

information/animal-health-status-of-regions/. This list is referenced 
in Sec.  94.8(a)(2) of the regulations.
    Section 94.8(a)(3) of the regulations states that APHIS will add a 
region to the list referenced in Sec.  94.8(a)(2) upon determining ASF 
exists in the region or having reason to believe the disease exists in 
the region, based on reports APHIS receives of outbreaks of the disease 
from veterinary officials of the exporting country, from the World 
Organization for Animal Health (WOAH),\1\ or from other sources the 
Administrator determines to be reliable, or upon determining that there 
is reason to believe the disease exists in the region. Section 
94.8(a)(1) of the regulations specifies the criteria on which the 
Administrator bases the reason to believe ASF exists in a region. 
Section 94.8(b) prohibits the importation of pork and pork products 
from regions listed in accordance with Sec.  94.8 except if processed 
and treated in accordance with the provisions specified in that section 
or consigned to an APHIS-approved establishment for further processing. 
Section 96.2 restricts the importation of swine casings that originated 
in or were processed in a region where ASF exists, as listed under 
Sec.  94.8(a).
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    \1\ The World Organization for Animal Health internationally 
follows a British English spelling of ``organisation'' in its name; 
also, it was formerly the Office International des Epizooties, or 
OIE, but on May 28, 2022, the Organization announced that the 
acronym was changed from OIE to WOAH.
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    On October 9, 2024, media reports of widespread disease in swine 
began and on October 25, 2024, the veterinary authorities of Sri Lanka 
published a notice in their official Gazette declaring an outbreak of 
ASF in that country. In response to the media reports and the official 
Gazette publication, on December 4, 2024, APHIS added Sri Lanka to the 
list of regions where ASF exists or the Administrator has reason to 
believe that ASF exists, in compliance with Sec.  94.8(a)(3). This 
notice serves as an official record and public notification of that 
action.
    As a result, pork and pork products from Sri Lanka, including 
casings, 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 2nd day of March 2026.
Kelly Moore,
Acting Administrator, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.
[FR Doc. 2026-04316 Filed 3-3-26; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-34-P


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Indexed from Federal Register on March 4, 2026.

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