SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Title: National Animal Health Reporting System and Handling Swine with Potential Vesicular Disease.

OMB Control Number: 0579-0299.

Type of Request: Revision to and extension of approval of an information collection.

Abstract: Under the Animal Health Protection Act (7 U.S.C. 8301 et seq.), the Animal Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) is authorized, among other things, to prohibit or restrict the importation and interstate movement of animals and other articles to prevent the introduction and interstate spread of livestock diseases and to eradicate such diseases from the United States when feasible. In connection with this mission, APHIS operates the National Animal Health Reporting System (NAHRS), which collects, on a national basis, monthly data from State veterinarians on the presence or absence of diseases of interest to the World Organization for Animal Health (WOAH).

As a member country of WOAH, the United States must submit reports to the WOAH on the status of certain diseases in specific livestock, poultry, and aquaculture species. Reportable diseases are diseases that have the potential for rapid spread, irrespective of national borders, that are of serious socioeconomic or public health consequence, and that are of major importance in the international trade of animals and animal products. The potential benefits to trade of accurate reporting on the health status of the U.S. commercial livestock, poultry, and aquaculture industries include expansion of those industries into new export markets and preservation of existing markets through increased confidence in quality and disease freedom. This data collection is unique in terms of the type, quantity, and frequency because no other entity is collecting and reporting data to the WOAH on the health status of U.S. livestock, poultry, and aquaculture.

Information collected from the States covers the monthly NAHRS 1 reports. The NAHRS 2 and NVSL 201 burden, which were added to the previous renewal of this collection and were used to report on emerging diseases and SARS-CoV-2 testing in animals, are no longer being used and have been removed from this collection (0579-0299).

VS' mission also includes preventing foreign animal disease outbreaks in the United States, and monitoring, controlling, and eliminating a disease outbreak should one occur. Any swine having vesicular lesions are suspects for foreign animal diseases (FADs), such as foot-and-mouth disease (FMD), until determined otherwise by VS through authorized testing at approved National Animal Health Laboratory Network (NAHLN) laboratories with oversight and confirmatory testing, if required, by the Foreign Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory (FADDL). Several viral pathogens may cause vesicular lesions in swine, including FMD virus, swine vesicular disease virus, vesicular stomatitis virus, and Senecavalley A virus. Veterinarians are unable to differentiate the etiology of these gross lesions without diagnostic testing. ( printed page 43079) Vesicular lesions on swine should be reported by State, Federal, and accredited veterinarians to ensure rapid detection of FMD or any other FAD, if introduced. This is done to protect the health, public confidence, and marketability of our nation's livestock health, marketability of meat products, and public confidence. Information collection includes notifiable swine disease reporting, NAHRS monthly State and Area Veterinarian In Charge (AVIC) reports, and FAD data collection and investigations. These information collection activities have been approved by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) under control number 0579-0493.

The information collection activities currently reported under OMB number 0579-0493 (Handling Swine with Potential Vesicular Disease) is being merged into this collection (0579-0299). After OMB approves and combines the burden for both collections under 0579-0299, 0579-0493 will be discontinued.

We are asking OMB to approve our use of these information collection activities, as described, for 3 years.

The purpose of this notice is to solicit comments from the public (as well as affected agencies) concerning our information collection. These comments will help us:

(1) Evaluate whether the collection of information is necessary for the proper performance of the functions of the Agency, including whether the information will have practical utility;

(2) Evaluate the accuracy of our estimate of the burden of the collection of information, including the validity of the methodology and assumptions used;

(3) Enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected; and

(4) Minimize the burden of the collection of information on those who are to respond, through use, as appropriate, of automated, electronic, mechanical, and other collection technologies; e.g., permitting electronic submission of responses.

Estimate of burden: The public burden for this collection of information is estimated to average 1.75 hours per response.

Respondents: State veterinarians, farmers, public health officials, and animal scientists.

Estimated annual number of respondents: 172.

Estimated annual number of responses per respondent: 44.

Estimated annual number of responses: 7,524.

Estimated total annual burden on respondents: 13,167 hours. (Due to averaging, the total annual burden hours may not equal the product of the annual number of responses multiplied by the reporting burden per response.)

All responses to this notice will be summarized and included in the request for OMB approval. All comments will also become a matter of public record.