10706 Federal Register / Vol. 74, No. 47 / Thursday, March 12, 2009 / Notices 

Summary of Collection: The Food 

Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) has 

been delegated the authority to exercise 

the functions of the Secretary as 

provided in the Federal Meat Inspection 

Act (FMIA) (21 U.S.C. 601 et seq.) and 

the poultry Products Inspection Act 

(PPIA) (21 U.S.C. 451 et seq.) These 

statutes mandate that FSIS protect the 

public by ensuring that meat and 

poultry products are safe, wholesome, 

unadulterated, and properly labeled and 

packaged. A firm that has produced or 

imported meat or poultry that is 

adulterated or misbranded and is being 

distributed in commerce, may 

voluntarily recall the product in 

question. When a firm voluntarily 

recalls a product, FSIS will conduct a 

recall effectiveness check. 

Need and Use of the Information: In 

conducting a recall, the establishment 

will be asked to provide FSIS with some 

basic information, including the identity 

of the recalled product, the reason for 

the recall, and information about the 

distributors and customers of the 

product. FSIS will check on the 

effectiveness of the recall to ensure that 

all products subject to recall are 

accounted for. FSIS field personnel will 

use FSIS form 8400–4 A to determine 

(1) if the retail consignee received 

notification of the recall and (2) the 

amount of recalled products received. 

FSIS field personnel will also use FSIS 

form 8400–4 B to verify that product 

held by the retail consignee was 

properly disposed. 

Description of Respondents: Business 

or other for-profit. 

Number of Respondents: 3,060. 

Frequency of Responses: Reporting: 

On occasion. 

Total Burden Hours: 3,700. 

Ruth Brown, 

Departmental Information Collection 

Clearance Officer. 

[FR Doc. E9–5302 Filed 3–11–09; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3410–DM–P 

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

Animal and Plant Health Inspection 

Service 

[Docket No. APHIS–2009–0003] 

Notice of Request for Extension of 

Approval of an Information Collection; 

Importation of Tomatoes From Certain 

Central American Countries 

AGENCY: Animal and Plant Health 

Inspection Service, USDA. 

ACTION: 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 an extension of approval of an 

information collection associated with 

regulations for the importation of 

tomatoes from certain Central American 

countries. 

DATES: We will consider all comments 

that we receive on or before May 11, 

2009. 

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments 

by either of the following methods: 

• Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to 

http://www.regulations.gov/fdmspublic/ 

component/ 

main?main=DocketDetail&d=APHIS2009-0003 to submit or view comments 

and to view supporting and related 

materials available electronically. 

• Postal Mail/Commercial Delivery: 

Please send two copies of your comment 

to Docket No. APHIS–2009–0003, 

Regulatory Analysis and Development, 

PPD, APHIS, Station 3A–03.8, 4700 

River Road Unit 118, Riverdale, MD 

20737–1238. Please state that your 

comment refers to Docket No. APHIS– 

2009–0003. 

Reading Room: You may read any 

comments that we receive on this 

docket in our reading room. The reading 

room 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) 690–2817 before 

coming. 

Other Information: Additional 

information about APHIS and its 

programs is available on the Internet at 

http://www.aphis.usda.gov. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For 

information on regulations for the 

importation of tomatoes from certain 

Central American countries, contact Ms. 

Donna L. West, Senior Import 

Specialist, Commodity Import Analysis 

and Operations, PPQ, APHIS, 4700 

River Road Unit 133 Riverdale, MD 

20737; (301) 734–8758. 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: Importation of Tomatoes from 

Certain Central American Countries. 

OMB Number: 0579–0286. 

Type of Request: Extension of 

approval of an information collection. 

Abstract: The Plant Protection Act 

(PPA, 7 U.S.C. 7701 et seq.) authorizes 

the Secretary of Agriculture to restrict 

the importation, entry, or interstate 

movement of plants, plant products, and 

other articles to prevent the 

introduction of plant pests into the 

United States or their dissemination 

within the United States. Regulations 

authorized by the PPA concerning the 

importation of fruits and vegetables into 

the United States from certain parts of 

the world are contained in ‘‘Subpart— 

Fruits and Vegetables’’ (7 CFR 319.56– 

1 through 319.56–48). 

Under these regulations, pink or red 

tomatoes from Costa Rica, El Salvador, 

Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, and 

Panama may be imported into the 

United States only under certain 

conditions to prevent the introduction 

of plant pests into the United States. 

The regulations require information 

collection activities, including 

phytosanitary certificates with an 

additional declaration statement, 

production site and packinghouse 

inspection records, monitoring and 

auditing of the trapping program, 

trapping records, and labeling of boxes. 

We are asking the Office of 

Management and Budget (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 

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 

reporting burden for this collection of 

information is estimated to average 

0.0027516 hours per response. 

Respondents: Importers and Central 

American national plant protection 

organizations and producers. 

Estimated Annual Number of 

Respondents: 24. 

Estimated Annual Number of 

Responses per Respondent: 4,345.8333. 


cprice-sewell on PRODPC61 with NOTICES
Federal Register / Vol. 74, No. 47 / Thursday, March 12, 2009 / Notices 10707 

Estimated Annual Number of 

Responses: 104,300. 

Estimated Total Annual Burden on 

Respondents: 287 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 6th day of 

March 2009. 

Kevin Shea, 

Acting Administrator, Animal and Plant 

Health Inspection Service. 

[FR Doc. E9–5371 Filed 3–11–09; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3410–34–P 

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

Animal and Plant Health Inspection 

Service 

[Docket No. APHIS–2009–0008] 

Availability of an Environmental 

Assessment for a Biological Control 

Agent for Russian Knapweed 

AGENCY: Animal and Plant Health 

Inspection Service, USDA. 

ACTION: Notice of availability and 

request for comments. 

SUMMARY: We are advising the public 

that the Animal and Plant Health 

Inspection Service has prepared an 

environmental assessment relative to 

the control of Russian knapweed, 

Acroptilon repens. The environmental 

assessment considers the effects of, and 

alternatives to, the release of a gall 

midge, Jaapiella ivannikovi, into the 

continental United States for use as a 

biological control agent to reduce the 

severity of Russian knapweed 

infestations. We are making the 

environmental assessment available to 

the public for review and comment. 

DATES: We will consider all comments 

that we receive on or before April 13, 

2009. 

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments 

by either of the following methods: 

• Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to 

http://www.regulations.gov/fdmspublic/ 

component/ 

main?main=DocketDetail&d=APHIS– 

2009–0008 to submit or view comments 

and to view supporting and related 

materials available electronically. 

• Postal Mail/Commercial Delivery: 

Please send two copies of your comment 

to Docket No. APHIS–2009–0008, 

Regulatory Analysis and Development, 

PPD, APHIS, Station 3A–03.8, 4700 

River Road Unit 118, Riverdale, MD 

20737–1238. Please state that your 

comment refers to Docket No. APHIS– 

2009–0008. 

Reading Room: You may read any 

comments that we receive on the 

environmental assessment in our 

reading room. The reading room 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) 690–2817 before 

coming. 

Other Information: Additional 

information about APHIS and its 

programs is available on the Internet at 

http://www.aphis.usda.gov. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dr. 

L. Carmen Soileau, Senior Staff 

Entomologist, Permits, Registrations, 

Imports, and Manuals, PPQ, APHIS, 

4700 River Road Unit 133, Riverdale, 

MD 20737–1237; (866) 524–5421. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Background 

The Animal and Plant Health 

Inspection Service (APHIS) is proposing 

to issue permits for the release of a gall 

midge, Jaapiella ivannikovi, into the 

continental United States for use as a 

biological control agent to reduce the 

severity of Russian knapweed 

(Acroptilon repens) infestations. 

Russian knapweed is a long-lived 

perennial in the plant tribe Asteraceae 

(sunflower, aster, or daisy family). The 

highly invasive weed was first 

introduced into North America in 1898. 

By 1998, the weed had spread to 313 

counties in 45 of the 48 contiguous 

States in the United States with 80 

percent of the infestation occurring in 

the States of Colorado, Idaho, 

Washington, and Wyoming. Russian 

knapweed thrives in a variety of habitats 

and is found in both irrigated and arid 

environments and in croplands, 

pastures, rangelands, and wastelands. 

The weed is a strong competitor and 

produces a chemical substance that 

inhibits the growth of other plant 

species, and, as a result, dense (100–300 

plants/square meter) infestations may 

develop. It is generally not used for 

forage because of its bitter taste and 

because it presents a risk of causing 

neurological disorders in horses if 

consumed. Additionally, it reduces 

wildlife habitats, suppresses other 

plants, and has no beneficial qualities. 

Existing Russian knapweed 

management options are ineffective, 

expensive, and temporary and have 

negative impacts on other species of 

plants. Therefore, APHIS is proposing to 

issue permits for the release of a gall 

midge, J. ivannikovi, into the 

continental United States for use as a 

biological control agent to reduce the 

severity of Russian knapweed 

infestations. 

The proposed biological control agent, 

J. ivannikovi, is an insect measuring 1.6 

to 2.5 mm in length with relatively large 

wings, long legs, and a long ovipositor 

(egg-laying organ) that can be extended 

from the tip of the abdomen. The female 

gall midge deposits its eggs on the 

surface of the buds situated on the tips 

of the main and side shoots of the 

Russian knapweed. Larval feeding 

causes stunted growth of the shoot and 

fusion of leaves, resulting in a so-called 

‘‘rosette gall.’’ 

Host specificity laboratory tests 

conducted at the CABI Bioscience 

Centre in Delee ́mont, Switzerland, and 

open-field experiments in Uzbekistan 

indicate that J. ivannikovi is hostspecific to Russian knapweed. The list 

of plants tested in the laboratory 

consisted of the target plant, Russian 

knapweed, collected in the native range 

(Uzbekistan), a population of Russian 

knapweed collected in North America 

(Wyoming), and 50 non-target plant 

species or varieties. During these tests, 

several male and female J. ivannikovi 

gall midges were placed into a plastic 

cylinder that covered each plant. After 

exposure, the plants were inspected for 

gall formation. In these laboratory tests, 

galls occurred only on the target weed 

Russian knapweed and on the Eurasian 

knapweed. 

In addition to the laboratory tests, gall 

formation tests were conducted under 

open-field conditions in an 

experimental garden at the Institute of 

Zoology, Tashkent, Uzbekistan. Test 

plant species were either grown from 

seed or collected in the local area and 

transplanted to the experimental sites 

and were arranged with Russian 

knapweed in a randomized design. J. 

ivannikovi galls were collected locally 

over an approximate span of 2 years. In 

these tests, gall formation was recorded 

in large numbers on Russian knapweed 

but on no other test plant species, 

including the Eurasian knapweed. 

APHIS’ review and analysis of the 

proposed action are documented in 

detail in an environmental assessment 

(EA) entitled ‘‘Field Release of Jaapiella 

ivannikovi (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae), an 

Insect for Biological Control of Russian 

Knapweed (Acroptilon repens), in the 

Continental United States’’ (December 

2008). We are making the EA available 

to the public for review and comment. 

We will consider all comments that we 


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