This section of the FEDERAL REGISTER contains documents other than rules or proposed rules that are applicable to the public. Notices of hearings and investigations, committee meetings, agency decisions and rulings, delegations of authority, filing of petitions and applications and agency statements of organization and functions are examples of documents appearing in this section. 

# Notices Federal Register 

### 77003

Vol. 77, No. 250

Monday, December 31, 2012

**DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE**

**Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service** 

**[Docket No. APHIS–2012–0083]**

**Notice of Request for Revision to and Extension of Approval of an**  **Information Collection; Animal Disease Traceability Information Systems,**  **Agreements, and Reports**

**AGENCY :**  Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, USDA.

**ACTION :**  Revision to and extension of approval of an 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 a revision to and extension of approval of an information collection that will help the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service to strengthen its animal disease prevention and response capabilities.

**DATES :**  We will consider all comments that we receive on or before March 1,
2013.

**ADDRESSES :**  You may submit comments by either of the following methods:

• Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to http://www.regulations.gov/#!document Detail;D=APHIS-2012-0083-0001.

• Postal Mail/Commercial Delivery: Send your comment to Docket No. APHIS–2012–0083, Regulatory Analysis and Development, PPD, APHIS, Station 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-2012-0083 or in our reading room, which 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) 799–7039 before coming.

**FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT :**  For information on the animal disease traceability data systems, contact Mr. Neil Hammerschmidt, Program Manager, Animal Disease Traceability, VS, APHIS, 4700 River Road Unit 200, Riverdale, MD 20737; (301) 851–3539. For copies of more detailed information on the information collection, contact Mrs. Celeste Sickles, APHIS’ Information Collection Coordinator, at (301) 851–2908.

**SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION :** 

Title: Animal Disease Traceability Information Systems, Agreements, and Reports.

OMB Number: 0579–0259. Type of Request: Revision to and extension of approval of an information collection.

Abstract: Under the Animal Health Protection Act (AHPA, 7 U.S.C. 8301 et
seq. ), the Secretary of Agriculture has the authority to issue orders and promulgate regulations to prevent the introduction into the United States and the dissemination within the United States of any pest or disease of livestock. The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service’s (APHIS’) regulations in 9 CFR subchapter B govern cooperative programs to control and eradicate communicable diseases of livestock. The regulations in 9 CFR subchapter C establish requirements for the interstate movement of livestock to prevent the dissemination of diseases of livestock within the United States. Knowing where diseased and at-risk animals are, where they have been, and when, is indispensable in emergency response and in ongoing disease control and eradication programs. To provide a system that could provide for animal traceability, APHIS developed the Animal Disease Traceability (ADT) framework and ADT information systems. The basic data APHIS acquires through the ADT information systems will help APHIS obtain timely information on animal movement tracebacks and trace forwards when responding to an animal disease of

concern.

The framework for ADT provides the basic tenets of an improved animal disease traceability capability in the United States and will only apply to animals moved in interstate commerce, be administered by the States and Tribal Nations to provide more flexibility, encourage the use of lower-cost technology, and be implemented transparently through Federal regulations. APHIS is adopting these tenets for animal disease traceability while using investments previously made on information systems, such as official animal identification devices and other areas where States and Tribes had achieved progress through cooperative agreements.

The ADT information systems involve a number of previously approved collection and recordkeeping activities, including animal identification; premises registration; nonproducer participant registration; updates submitted by animal identification number manufacturers and managers; cooperative agreements; cooperative agreement applications; cooperator (State/Tribe) quarterly accomplishment reports; and an identification number management system. These information collection activities were approved by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) under control number 0579– 0259. The ADT information systems require updates to information provided. In addition, producers and operators of feedlots, markets, buying stations, and slaughter plants will have to maintain records associated with their animal movement activities for 2 to 5 years, although these records are already routinely maintained by these entities.

Other activities are being discontinued. APHIS has discontinued the evaluation and listing of animal tracking databases since the activity is now managed by the States and Tribes. APHIS no longer requires reporting of animal movements to premises, so we no longer track individual and group/lot movement records, resulting in a 450,000-hour decrease in the overall burden. APHIS has removed the animal tracking database and movement record entries from the forms of burden. APHIS will no longer require producers to file quarterly progress reports. Finally, APHIS has consolidated its tracking methods for issuance of the various forms of identification. The overall result of discontinuing many of the previously approved activities has led to an overall decrease in estimated annual


### 77004 Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 250 / Monday, December 31, 2012 / Notices

1 The final standards document will be available
at http://www.aphis.usda.gov/animal

_health/ index.shtml. burden on respondents from 2,832,437 hours to 47,051 hours. In addition, the estimated annual number of respondents has decreased from 500,472 to 106,890.

We are asking OMB to approve our use of these information collection activities for an additional 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 information collection 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 reporting burden for this collection of information is estimated to average 0.44 hours per response.

Respondents: State and Tribal animal health authorities; animal producers; operators of markets, buying stations, and feedlots; laboratory staff; device manufacturers; and slaughter plant personnel.

Estimated annual number of respondents: 60,315.

Estimated annual number of responses per respondent: 1.77.

Estimated annual number of
responses: 106,890.

Estimated total annual burden on respondents: 47,051 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, this 20th day of December, 2012 . Kevin Shea, Acting Administrator, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.
[FR Doc. 2012–31346 Filed 12–28–12; 8:45 am]

**BILLING CODE 3410–34–P DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE** 

**Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service** 

**[Docket No. APHIS–2012–0058]**

**Data Standards for Electronic Interstate Certificates of Veterinary**  **Inspection**

**AGENCY :**  Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, USDA.

**ACTION :**  Notice.

**SUMMARY :**  This notice announces the availability of new data standards required to generate an official interstate certificate of veterinary inspection (ICVI). The data standards would define the minimum data elements required to generate an ICVI using an electronic data system, outline the methods by which data can be shared between participating systems, and provide methods of approving data systems for data quality control. We are making these standards available for public review and comment.

**DATES :**  We will consider all comments that we receive on or before January 30,
2013.

**ADDRESSES :**  You may submit comments by either of the following methods:

• Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to http://www.regulations.gov/ #!documentDetail;D=APHIS–2012–
0058–0001.

• Postal Mail/Commercial Delivery: Send your comment to Docket No. APHIS–2012–0058, Regulatory Analysis and Development, PPD, APHIS, Station 3A–03.8, 4700 River Road Unit 118, Riverdale, MD 20737–1238.

The data standards and any comments we receive may be viewed at http:// www.regulations.gov/ #!docketDetail;D=APHIS–2012–0058 or in our reading room, which 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) 799–7039 before coming.

**FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT :**  Dr. Joseph Vantiem, Information Technology Coordinator, National Animal Health Policy and Programs, VS, APHIS, 4700 River Road Unit 35, Riverdale, MD 20737–1231; (301) 851–
3579.

**SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION :**  The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) has established a set of minimum data standards for any electronic system to be used to generate an official interstate certificate of veterinary inspection (ICVI). The standards were developed with the National Assembly of State Animal Health Officials.

ICVIs protect animal health in several important ways. States use ICVIs to monitor animal movements, address specific animal health concerns, and enforce regulations. Specifically, ICVI are used to document the health status of animals moving interstate and track the animals’ movement. ICVIs are also used to record observations and test results that show freedom from specific diseases.

ICVIs have traditionally been paper documents; however, a paper-based system can result in lag time between animal movement and the distribution of documents as well as inefficiencies in document archiving and retrieval.

APHIS has attempted to address these deficiencies by developing an electronic module that lets States enter ICVI data into the Veterinary Services Process Streamlining (VSPS) system. Several States and private entities are also attempting to improve the usefulness of ICVIs by developing electronic versions for use by State animal health officials and accredited veterinarians.

Since ICVIs contain important data fields for both animal disease traceability and disease surveillance, the data elements used in ICVIs must be compatible with one another and with the current database standards being implemented in the Surveillance Collaborative Services (SCS) application. SCS is an animal health and surveillance system that is used to maintain test and vaccination data and other program information such as disease or certification status for flocks/ herds subject to APHIS’ animal disease or pest surveillance and control
programs.

We have prepared a document entitled ‘‘Data Standards for Interstate Certificates of Veterinary Inspection’’ (July 2012) that establishes a common set of data for ICVIs so the data can be collected by a variety of methods and be shared seamlessly between all participating entities. We are making this document available to the public for review and comment before posting it on the APHIS Web site 1 for use by interested States and private entities.

The data standards document may be viewed on the Regulations.gov Web site or in our reading room (see **ADDRESSES** above for instructions for accessing Regulations.gov and information on the