50 Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 1 / Monday, January 4, 2021 / Notices 

fellowships. Any additional AFRI RFAs 

made available in FY 2021 may be 

included in this solicitation. 

Eligibility for Submitting Topics 

Eligible commodity board entities are 

those established under a commodity 

promotion law, as such term is defined 

under 7 U.S.C. 7401(a), or a State 

commodity board (or other equivalent 

State entity). Language in 7 U.S.C. 

7401(a) defines a ‘‘commodity 

promotion law’’ as ‘‘a Federal law that 

provides for the establishment and 

operation of a promotion program 

regarding an agricultural commodity 

that includes a combination of 

promotion, research, industry 

information, or consumer information 

activities, is funded by mandatory 

assessments on producers or processors, 

and is designed to maintain or expand 

markets and uses for the commodity (as 

determined by the Secretary).’’ 7 U.S.C. 

7401(a) includes a list of such Federal 

laws. 

A current list of approved entities is 

maintained at https://nifa.usda.gov/ 

commodity-boards/. Additionally, 

entities eligible to submit topics include 

State commodity boards (or other 

equivalent State entities). This includes 

commodity boards authorized by State 

law; commodity boards that are not 

authorized by State law, but are 

organized and operate within a State 

and meet the requirements of their 

authorizing statute; and commodity 

boards that are authorized by a State 

and operate within the State for 

commodities that have no Federal 

program or oversight. 

Topic Submission Guidance and 

Procedures 

Topics may be submitted at any time 

and will be evaluated by NIFA on an 

annual basis. However, to guarantee 

consideration for the proposed fiscal 

year 2021 AFRI RFAs, topics must be 

received by 5:00 p.m. EDT on March 5, 

2021. 

Each topic proposed must be 

submitted using the topic submission 

form provided at: https://nifa.usda.gov/ 

resource/commodity-board-submissionform. Commodity boards may propose 

support for multiple awards for each 

topic proposed. For each topic the 

commodity board proposes to support, 

the minimum amount contributed by 

the commodity board must align with 

budget guidance for each AFRI area 

https://nifa.usda.gov/commodityboards/ and comply with the maximum 

amount of $5 million allowed per topic. 

NIFA does not intend to match funding 

from a single commodity board in 

excess of $10 million in any year. 

Commodity boards should only submit 

topics that have a strong economic 

impact on their industry and U.S. 

agriculture, as a whole. Examples of 

topics typically supported by AFRI can 

be found at https://nifa.usda.gov/ 

commodity-boards/. 

If topics are accepted for funding, 

they will be incorporated into AFRI 

RFAs, and grants supporting the topic 

area may be awarded to AFRI eligible 

entities based on a competitive peer 

review process. As a condition of 

funding grants in a topic, NIFA will 

require an agreement by the commodity 

board to provide funds in an amount 

equal to the amount NIFA is 

contributing under the agreed upon 

topic. If a topic is selected for inclusion 

in an RFA, the commodity board 

submitting the topic will be required to 

maintain the confidentiality of the topic 

until the RFA is issued by NIFA. All 

commodity board funds and NIFA funds 

must be available at the time projects 

are selected for funding; awards are 

fully funded at the beginning of the 

award. Applications submitted under 

topics provided by commodity boards 

will be required to include a letter of 

support for co-funding from the 

commodity board that proposed the 

topic. 

Evaluation and Notification Process 

NIFA will screen proposed research 

topics to ensure eligibility of the 

submitting commodity boards. NIFA 

will also consult with USDA’s 

Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) to 

determine that submissions and 

proposed financial contributions are 

consistent with commodity promotion 

laws and commodity boards’ charters, as 

applicable. 

Commodity board topics are reviewed 

by an internal panel based on evaluation 

criteria developed using stakeholder 

input from commodity boards and other 

stakeholders from government, industry, 

and academe. Each topic will be 

evaluated based on alignment with one 

or more of the statutory AFRI priority 

areas (six AFRI priority areas authorized 

in the Farm Bill and described in 7 CFR 

3430.309); alignment with the 

President’s budget proposal for NIFA, as 

identified in the Department of 

Agriculture’s annual budget submission; 

and alignment with the priority areas in 

the AFRI RFAs to be released by NIFA 

during the fiscal year for which the 

commodity board is proposing a topic 

for funding (for example, within the 

AFRI Foundational and Applied 

Science RFA, the AFRI Animal Health 

and Production and Animal Products’ 

‘‘Animal Reproduction’’ priority area). 

From those topics received by 5:00 

p.m. EDT on March 5, 2021, NIFA will 

select the topic(s) that were evaluated 

favorably for inclusion in the 

appropriate FY 2021 AFRI RFA. NIFA 

will notify commodity boards as to 

whether their topics will be included by 

April 5, 2021. Based on the evaluation, 

NIFA reserves the right to negotiate with 

commodity boards should changes be 

required to accept topics and funding 

amounts. Any changes to topics and 

funding amounts will be reviewed by 

USDA’s AMS to determine if such 

changes are consistent with applicable 

commodity promotion laws. 

NIFA will evaluate topics submitted 

after the March 5, 2021 deadline on an 

annual basis and notify commodity 

boards whether their topics will be 

included in subsequent RFAs within 

two weeks following the meeting of the 

internal evaluation panel, the date of 

which will be published on NIFA’s 

Commodity Boards web page at (https:// 

nifa.usda.gov/commodity-boards/). 

Done at Washington, DC, this 21st day of 

December 2020. 

Parag R. Chitnis, 

Acting Director, National Institute of Food 

and Agriculture, Department of Agriculture. 

[FR Doc. 2020–28698 Filed 12–31–20; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3410–22–P 

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

Animal and Plant Health Inspection 

Service 

[Docket No. APHIS–2020–0109] 

Notice of Request for Approval of an 

Information Collection; SARS–CoV–2 

Testing in Animals Reporting Activities 

ACTION: New information collection; 

comment request. 

SUMMARY: In accordance with the 

Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this 

notice announces the Animal and Plant 

Health Inspection Service’s intention to 

request approval of a new information 

collection associated with the testing 

and reporting of SARS–CoV–2 in 

animals. 

DATES: We will consider all comments 

that we receive on or before March 5, 

2021. 

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments 

by either of the following methods: 

• Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to 

http://www.regulations.gov/ 

#!docketDetail;D=APHIS-2020-0109. 

• Postal Mail/Commercial Delivery: 

Send your comment to Docket No. 

APHIS–2020–0109, Regulatory Analysis 

and Development, PPD, APHIS, Station 

Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 1 / Monday, January 4, 2021 / Notices 51 

3A–03.8, 4700 River Road, Unit 118, 

Riverdale, MD 20737–1238. 

Supporting documents and any 

comments we receive on this docket 

may be viewed at http://

www.regulations.gov/ 

#!docketDetail;D=APHIS-2020-0109 or 

in our reading room, which is located in 

Room 1620 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) 799–7039 

before coming. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For 

information on testing and reporting of 

SARS–CoV–2 in animals, contact Dr. 

Laura Miles, Veterinarian 

Epidemiologist, Surveillance, Design, 

and Analysis Section, Center for 

Epidemiology and Animal Health, 

Veterinary Services, 2150 Centre Ave., 

Bldg. B, Fort Collins, CO 80526; (970) 

494–7246; NLRAD.NAHRS@usda.gov. 

For additional information about the 

information collection process, contact 

Mr. Joseph Moxey, APHIS’ Information 

Collection Coordinator, at (301) 851– 

2483. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Title: SARS–CoV–2 Testing in 

Animals Reporting Activities. 

OMB Control Number: 0579–XXXX. 

Type of Request: Approval of a new 

information collection. 

Abstract: The Animal Health 

Protection Act (AHPA) of 2002 is the 

primary Federal law governing the 

protection of animal health. The AHPA 

gives the Secretary of Agriculture broad 

authority to detect, control, or eradicate 

pests or diseases of agricultural animals 

and animal products. The Secretary may 

also prohibit or restrict import or export 

of any animal or related material if 

necessary, to prevent the spread of any 

disease. The U.S. Department of 

Agriculture has a duty under section 

8219 of the Public Health Security and 

Bioterrorism Preparedness and 

Response Act of 2002 to collaborate and 

coordinate with the Department of 

Health and Human Services partners in 

the surveillance of zoonoses disease. 

Collection and dissemination of animal 

and poultry health data and information 

is mandated by 7 U.S.C. 391, the Animal 

Industry Act of 1884, which established 

the Bureau of Animal Industry, which 

was the precursor of the Animal and 

Plant Health Inspection Service’s 

(APHIS’) Veterinary Services. Legal 

requirements for examining and 

reporting on animal disease control 

methods were further mandated by 21 

U.S.C. 119, ‘‘Agents to Examine and 

Report on Methods of Treatment of 

Animals, and Means for Suppression of 

Diseases,’’ amended February 7, 1928. 

Collection, analysis, and 

dissemination of animal and poultry 

health information is consistent with 

the APHIS mission of protecting and 

improving American agriculture’s 

productivity and competitiveness. 

APHIS uses the National Animal Health 

Reporting System (NAHRS) for 

reporting and tracking the emergence, 

prevalence, epidemiology, and 

economic importance of diseases in 

livestock, poultry, and other animals. 

The system facilitates standardization of 

disease information throughout the 

United States, provides a central point 

for the collection of national data, and 

assists APHIS in meeting its animal 

disease reporting obligations to the 

World Organization for Animal Health 

(OIE). 

To better meet its reporting 

requirements about emerging diseases to 

the OIE, APHIS is interested in 

collecting information as to the 

detection of severe acute respiratory 

syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS–CoV–2) 

in animals. To accomplish this, APHIS 

will distribute a request for information 

to U.S. laboratories engaged in the 

testing of animals for SARS–CoV–2, 

develop a questionnaire in NAHRS, and 

request that State animal health officials 

and U.S. laboratories provide SARS– 

CoV–2 animal testing data on a monthly 

basis. 

We are asking the Office of 

Management and Budget (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 1.72 hours per 

response. 

Respondents: State animal scientists, 

U.S. laboratory personnel, and 

veterinarians. 

Estimated annual number of 

respondents: 77. 

Estimated annual number of 

responses per respondent: 12. 

Estimated annual number of 

responses: 949. 

Estimated total annual burden on 

respondents: 1,626 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. 

Done in Washington, DC. 

Michael Watson, 

Acting Administrator, Animal and Plant 

Health Inspection Service. 

[FR Doc. 2020–29014 Filed 12–31–20; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3410–34–P 

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

Food and Nutrition Service 

Agency Information Collection 

Activities: Proposed Collection; 

Comment Request—FNS 245—SNAP 

Quality Control Regulations 

AGENCY: Food and Nutrition Service 

(FNS), USDA. 

ACTION: Notice. 

SUMMARY: In accordance with the 

Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this 

notice invites the general public and 

other public agencies to comment on 

this proposed information collection. 

This is a revision of a currently 

approved information collection 

request. 

DATES: Written comments must be 

received on or before March 4, 2021. 

ADDRESSES: Comments may be sent to 

Stephanie Proska, Food and Nutrition 

Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, 

1320 Braddock Place, Room 05.5040, 

Alexandria, VA 22314. Comments may 

also be submitted via email to SNAPHQWEB@fns.usda.gov. Comments will also 

be accepted through the Federal 

eRulemaking Portal. Go to http://

www.regulations.gov, and follow the 

online instructions for submitting 

comments electronically. All responses 

to this notice will be summarized and 

included in the request for Office of 

Management and Budget approval. All 

comments will be a matter of public 

record.