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

38276 

Vol. 79, No. 129 

Monday, July 7, 2014 

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

Animal and Plant Health Inspection 

Service 

[Docket No. APHIS–2014–0039] 

Notice of Request for Revision to and 

Extension of Approval of an 

Information Collection; National 

Poultry Improvement Plan 

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 

associated with the National Poultry 

Improvement Plan. 

DATES: We will consider all comments 

that we receive on or before September 

5, 2014. 

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments 

by either of the following methods: 

• Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to 

http://www.regulations.gov/#!docket

Detail;D=APHIS-2014-0039. 

• Postal Mail/Commercial Delivery: 

Send your comment to Docket No. 

APHIS–2014–0039, 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-2014-0039 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 National Poultry 

Improvement Plan, contact Dr. Denise 

Brinson, Director, National Poultry 

Improvement Plan, Veterinary Services, 

APHIS, 1506 Klondike Road, Suite 300, 

Conyers, GA 30094; (770) 922–3496. 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: National Poultry Improvement 

Plan. 

OMB Control Number: 0579–0007. 

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 and Plant Health Inspection 

Service (APHIS) of the U.S. Department 

of Agriculture (USDA), is authorized to, 

among other things, administer the 

National Poultry Improvement Plan 

(NPIP or the Plan), the primary purpose 

of which is to protect the health of the 

U.S. poultry population. NPIP is a 

voluntary Federal-State-industry 

cooperative program for the 

improvement of poultry flocks and 

products through disease control 

techniques. Participation in all Plan 

programs is voluntary, but flocks, 

hatcheries, and dealers of breeding 

poultry must first qualify as ‘‘U.S. 

Pullorum-Typhoid Clean’’ as a 

condition for participation in the Plan 

programs. The NPIP regulations are 

contained in 9 CFR parts 56, 145, 146, 

and 147. 

To administer the Plan, APHIS 

requires a number of information 

activities and forms, including 

Veterinary Services (VS) Forms 1–23/1– 

23A, Appraisal and Indemnity Claim for 

Animals Destroyed or Materials 

Destroyed/Continuation Sheet; VS Form 

9–2, Flock Selecting and Testing Report; 

VS Form 9–3, Report of Sales of 

Hatching Eggs, Chicks, and Poults; VS 

Form 9–4, Summary of Breeding Flock 

Participation; VS Form 9–5, Report of 

Hatcheries, Dealers, and Independent 

Flocks, Table-Egg Producers, Meat-Type 

Chicken and Turkey Slaughter Plants 

Participating in the NPIP; VS Form 9– 

6, Report of Salmonella Isolations to 

NPIP Official State Agencies; VS Form 

9–7, Investigation of Salmonella 

Isolations in Poultry; VS Form 9–8, 

Flock Inspection and Check-Testing 

Report; VS Form 9–9, Hatchery 

Inspection Report; VS Form 10–3, 

Request for Salmonella Serotyping; 

banding of sentinel birds for 

identification prior to flock vaccination; 

memorandums of understanding; and 

recordkeeping. 

Since the last approval of these 

collection activities, participation in 

NPIP has risen. In addition to industry 

participation, which is estimated at 99 

percent, backyard chicken farmers who 

are raising poultry to satisfy the demand 

due to the increasing number of organic 

chicken and egg consumers want to join. 

Many people are also raising chickens 

and producing eggs for their own use. 

As a result of the increase in 

participation, the estimated annual 

number of respondents has increased 

from 10,800 to 18,097, and the 

estimated annual total burden has 

increased from 103,363 hours to 104,311 

hours. Though the number of 

respondents increased, there was not a 

commensurate increase in the burden 

because of NPIP procedural changes. 

For instance, due to the information that 

can be obtained from NPIP’s Web site, 

NPIP no longer sends letters to all NPIP 

participants and no longer prints 

participant directories. 

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 

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Federal Register / Vol. 79, No. 129 / Monday, July 7, 2014 / Notices 38277 

technologies; e.g., permitting electronic 

submission of responses. 

Estimate of burden: The public 

reporting burden for this collection of 

information is estimated to average 0.7 

hours per response. 

Respondents: Flock owners, breeders, 

hatchery operators, table-egg producers, 

meat-type chicken and turkey slaughter 

plant workers, personnel at approved 

laboratories, and State personnel. 

Estimated annual number of 

respondents: 18,097. 

Estimated annual number of 

responses per respondent: 8.5. 

Estimated annual number of 

responses: 153,548. 

Estimated total annual burden on 

respondents: 104,311 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 30th day of 

June 2014. 

Kevin Shea, 

Administrator, Animal and Plant Health 

Inspection Service. 

[FR Doc. 2014–15751 Filed 7–3–14; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3410–34–P 

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

Animal and Plant Health Inspection 

Service 

[Docket No. APHIS–2014–0044] 

Notice of Request for Reinstatement of 

an Information Collection; National 

Animal Health Monitoring System; 

Equine 2015 Study 

AGENCY: Animal and Plant Health 

Inspection Service, USDA. 

ACTION: Reinstatement 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 reinstatement of an 

information collection to support the 

National Animal Health Monitoring 

System’s Equine 2015 Study to support 

the equine industry in the United States. 

DATES: We will consider all comments 

that we receive on or before September 

5, 2014. 

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments 

by either of the following methods: 

• Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to 

http://www.regulations.gov/#!docket

Detail;D=APHIS-2014-0044. 

• Postal Mail/Commercial Delivery: 

Send your comment to Docket No. 

APHIS–2014–0044, 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-2014-0044 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 Equine 2015 Study, 

contact Mr. Chris Quatrano, Industry 

Analyst, Centers for Epidemiology and 

Animal Health, VS, APHIS, 2150 Centre 

Avenue, Building B MS 2E7, Fort 

Collins, CO 80526; (970) 494–7207. 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: National Animal Health 

Monitoring System; Equine 2015 Study. 

OMB Control Number: 0579–0269. 

Type of Request: Reinstatement of an 

information collection. 

Abstract: Under the Animal Health 

Protection Act (7 U.S.C. 8301 et seq.), 

the Animal and Plant Health Inspection 

Service (APHIS) of the U.S. Department 

of Agriculture is authorized, among 

other things, to protect the health of 

U.S. livestock and poultry populations 

by preventing the introduction and 

interstate spread of serious diseases and 

pests of livestock and by eradicating 

such diseases from the United States 

when feasible. In connection with this 

mission, APHIS operates the National 

Animal Health Monitoring System 

(NAHMS), which collects nationally 

representative, statistically valid, and 

scientifically sound data on the 

prevalence and economic importance of 

livestock diseases and associated risk 

factors. 

NAHMS’ national studies are a 

collaborative industry and Government 

initiative to help determine the most 

effective means of preventing and 

controlling diseases of livestock. APHIS 

is the only agency responsible for 

collecting national data on livestock 

health. Participation in any NAHMS 

study is voluntary. 

APHIS plans to conduct an Equine 

2015 Study as part of an ongoing series 

of NAHMS studies on the U.S. livestock 

population. The purpose of this study is 

to: 

• Describe trends in equine care and 

health management for study years 

1998, 2005, and 2015; 

• Estimate the occurrence of ownerreported lameness and describe 

practices associated with the 

management of lameness; 

• Describe health and management 

practices associated with important 

equine infectious diseases; 

• Describe animal health related costs 

of equine ownership; 

• Evaluate control practices for 

gastrointestinal parasites; 

• Evaluate horses for presence of ticks 

and describe tick-control practices used 

on equine operations; and 

• Collect equine sera along with 

equine demographic information in 

order to create a serum bank for future 

studies. 

The Equine 2015 Study will consist of 

on-farm questionnaires and a biological 

collection administered by National 

Agricultural Statistics Service 

enumerators and APHIS-designated data 

collectors. States are selected for 

participation based on the number of 

operations with equids and on the equid 

inventory. The goal is to include States 

that, combined, account for at least 70 

percent of the operations and inventory 

in the United States. For each State, a 

weighted average of operations and 

inventory is calculated, with inventory 

weighted slightly higher. Generally, 

States with at least 2 percent of the U.S. 

total weighted average are selected to 

participate in the survey. States may 

also be included based on industry 

interest or for geographic representation. 

The information collected will be 

used to: 

• Direct future equine industry 

education; 

• Allow equine owners and managers 

to compare their health management 

practices and disease prevalence in their 

equids with national and regional 

estimates; 

• Identify research needs; 

• Describe trends in equine health 

and management over time; and 

• Provide baseline information to 

assist with policy development. 

We are asking the Office of 

Management and Budget (OMB) to 

approve our use of these information 

collection activities 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: 

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