Federal Register / Vol. 73, No. 160 / Monday, August 18, 2008 / Notices 48189 

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: 

(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 

information collection, 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 0.25 

hours per response. 

Respondents: State plant health 

regulatory officials. 

Estimated annual number of 

respondents: 470. 

Estimated annual number of 

responses per respondent: 39.361702. 

Estimated annual number of 

responses: 18,500. 

Estimated total annual burden on 

respondents: 4,625 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 12th day of 

August 2008. 

Cindy Smith, 

Administrator, Animal and Plant Health 

Inspection Service. 

[FR Doc. E8–19090 Filed 8–15–08; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3410–34–P 

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

Animal and Plant Health Inspection 

Service 

[Docket No. APHIS–2008–0084] 

Notice of Availability of a Pest Risk 

Analysis for Importation of Fresh 

White Asparagus From Senegal Into 

the Continental United States 

AGENCY: Animal and Plant Health 

Inspection Service, USDA. 

ACTION: Notice. 

SUMMARY: We are advising the public 

that we have prepared a pest risk 

analysis that evaluates the risks 

associated with the importation into the 

continental United States of fresh white 

asparagus from Senegal. Based on that 

analysis, we believe that the application 

of one or more designated phytosanitary 

measures will be sufficient to mitigate 

the risks of introducing or disseminating 

plant pests or noxious weeds via the 

importation of fresh white asparagus 

from Senegal. We are making the pest 

risk analysis available to the public for 

review and comment. 

DATES: We will consider all comments 

that we receive on or before October 17, 

2008. 

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=APHIS2008-0084 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–2008–0084, 

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–

2008–0084. 

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: Ms. 

Shirley Wager Page ́, Branch Chief, 

Commodity Import Analysis and 

Operations, PPQ, APHIS, 4700 River 

Road, Unit 133, Riverdale, MD 20737–

1231; (301) 734–8758. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Background 

Under the regulations in ‘‘SubpartFruits and Vegetables’’ (7 CFR 319.56 

through 319.56–47, referred to below as 

the regulations), the Animal and Plant 

Health Inspection Service (APHIS) of 

the U.S. Department of Agriculture 

prohibits or restricts the importation of 

fruits and vegetables into the United 

States from certain parts of the world to 

prevent plant pests from being 

introduced into and spread within the 

United States. 

Section 319.56–4 contains a 

performance-based process for 

approving the importation of 

commodities that, based on the findings 

of a pest risk analysis, can be safely 

imported subject to one or more of the 

designated phytosanitary measures 

listed in paragraph (b) of that section. 

These measures are: 

• The fruits or vegetables are subject 

to inspection upon arrival in the United 

States and comply with all applicable 

provisions of § 319.56–3; 

• The fruits or vegetables are 

imported from a pest-free area in the 

country of origin that meets the 

requirements of § 319.56–5 for freedom 

from that pest and are accompanied by 

a phytosanitary certificate stating that 

the fruits or vegetables originated in a 

pest-free area in the country of origin; 

• The fruits or vegetables are treated 

in accordance with 7 CFR part 305; 

• The fruits or vegetables are 

inspected in the country of origin by an 

inspector or an official of the national 

plant protection organization of the 

exporting country, and have been found 

free of one or more specific quarantine 

pests identified by the risk analysis as 

likely to follow the import pathway; 

and/or 

• The fruits or vegetables are a 

commercial consignment. 

APHIS received a request from the 

Government of Senegal to allow the 

importation of fresh asparagus from 

Senegal into the continental United 

States. We have completed a pest risk 

assessment to identify pests of 

quarantine significance that could 

follow the pathway of importation into 

the United States and, based on that 

pest risk assessment, have prepared a 

risk management analysis to identify 

phytosanitary measures that could be 

applied to fresh white asparagus to 

mitigate the pest risk. We have 

concluded that fresh white asparagus 

can be safely imported into the 


sroberts on PROD1PC70 with NOTICES
48190 Federal Register / Vol. 73, No. 160 / Monday, August 18, 2008 / Notices 

continental United States from Senegal 

using one or more of the five designated 

phytosanitary measures listed in 

§ 319.56–4(b). Therefore, in accordance 

with § 319.56–4(c), we are announcing 

the availability of our pest risk analysis 

for public review and comment. The 

pest risk analysis 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 

location and hours of the reading room). 

You may request paper copies of the 

pest risk analysis by calling or writing 

to the person listed under FOR FURTHER

INFORMATION CONTACT. Please refer to the 

subject of the pest risk analysis when 

requesting copies. 

After reviewing the comments we 

receive, we will announce our decision 

regarding the import status of fresh 

white asparagus from Senegal in a 

subsequent notice. If the overall 

conclusions of the analysis and the 

Administrator’s determination of risk 

remain unchanged following our 

consideration of the comments, then we 

will begin issuing permits for 

importation of fresh white asparagus 

from Senegal into the continental 

United States subject to the 

requirements specified in the risk 

management analysis. 

Authority: 7 U.S.C. 450, 7701–7772, and 

7781–7786; 21 U.S.C. 136 and 136a; 7 CFR 

2.22, 2.80, and 371.3. 

Done in Washington, DC, this 12th day of 

August, 2008. 

Cindy Smith, 

Administrator, Animal and Plant Health 

Inspection Service. 

[FR Doc. E8–19093 Filed 8–15–08; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3410–34–P 

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

Food Safety and Inspection Service 

[Docket No. FSIS–2008–0029] 

National Advisory Committee on Meat 

and Poultry Inspection 

AGENCY: Food Safety and Inspection 

Service, USDA. 

ACTION: Notice of public meeting. 

SUMMARY: The Food Safety and 

Inspection Service (FSIS) is announcing, 

pursuant to the Federal Advisory 

Committee Act, 5 U.S.C. App. 2, that the 

National Advisory Committee on Meat 

and Poultry Inspection (NACMPI) will 

hold a public meeting on August 27–28, 

2008, to review and discuss 

international equivalence and the 

approach to verifying the equivalence of 

foreign food regulatory systems as the 

means of ensuring the safety of 

imported food products. The meeting 

will include discussion of four major 

perspectives. First, a U.S. government 

perspective will be presented on the 

FSIS strategy and the Food and Drug 

Administration (FDA) approach. 

Second, an industry perspective will be 

presented. Third, a consumer approach 

will be presented, and finally, the 

approaches by several foreign 

governments will be presented and 

discussed. 

All issues will be presented to the full 

Committee. The Committee will then 

divide into two subcommittees to 

discuss the issues. Each subcommittee 

will provide a report of their comments 

and recommendations to the full 

Committee before the meeting 

concludes on August 28, 2008. 

DATES: The Committee will hold a 

public meeting on Wednesday, August 

27, 2008, from 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m., and 

Thursday, August 28, 2008, from 

8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. The subcommittees 

will hold open meetings during their 

deliberations and report preparation. 

ADDRESSES: The meetings will take 

place at the South Building Cafeteria, 

U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), 

14th & Independence Avenue, SW., 

Washington, DC 20250. Non-USDA 

employees must enter through wing 2, 

located on 12th and C Street, SW. The 

meeting agenda is available on the 

Internet at the NACMPI Web site, http:// 

www.fsis.usda.gov/about_fsis/nacmpi/ 

index.asp. 

The NACMPI meeting agenda, 

together with information and resource 

materials on public health-based 

inspection, is also available on the 

Internet at http://www.fsis.usda.gov/ 

regulations_&_policies/ 

Public_Health_Based_Inspection/ 

index.asp. 

FSIS welcomes comments through 

September 29 on the topics discussed at 

the NACMPI public meeting. Comments 

may be submitted by any of the 

following methods: 

• Electronic mail: 

NACMPI@fsis.usda.gov. 

• Mail, including floppy disks or 

CD–ROMs: Send to National Advisory 

Committee on Meat and Poultry 

Inspection, USDA, FSIS, 14th & 

Independence Avenue, SW., Room 

1180, South Building, Washington, DC 

20250. 

• Hand- or courier-delivered items: 

Deliver to Faye Smith at 14th & 

Independence Avenue, SW., Room 

1180–S, Washington, DC. To deliver 

these items, the building security guard 

must first call (202) 720–9113. 

• Facsimile: Send to Faye Smith, 

(202) 720–5704. All submissions 

received must include the Agency name 

and docket number FSIS–2008–0029. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION: Contact Keith 

Payne for technical information at (202) 

690–6522, or e-mail 

keith.payne@fsis.usda.gov, and Faye 

Smith for meeting information at (202) 

720–9113, Fax (202) 720–5704, or e-mail 

faye.smith@fsis.usda.gov. Persons 

requiring a sign language interpreter or 

other special accommodations should 

notify Faye Smith at the numbers above 

or by e-mail. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Background 

The NACMPI provides advice and 

recommendations to the Secretary of 

Agriculture pertaining to the Federal 

and State meat and poultry inspection 

programs, pursuant to sections 7(c), 24, 

205, 301(a)(3), 301(a)(4), and 301(c) of 

the Federal Meat Inspection Act 

(21 U.S.C. 607(c), 624, 645, 661(a)(3), 

661(a)(4), and 661(c)) and sections 

5(a)(3), 5(a)(4), 5(c), 8(b), and 11(e) of 

the Poultry Products Inspection Act 

(21 U.S.C. 454(a)(3), 454(a)(4), 454(c), 

457(b), and 460(e)). 

The Administrator of FSIS is the 

chairperson of the Committee. 

Membership of the Committee is drawn 

from representatives of consumer 

groups; producers, processors, and 

marketers from the meat, poultry and 

egg product industries; State and local 

government officials; and academia. The 

current members of the NACMPI are: 

Ms. Kibbe M. Conti, Northern Plains 

Nutrition Consulting, Rapid City, SD; 

Mr. Brian R. Covington, Keystone Foods 

LLC, West Conshohocken, PA; Dr. 

Catherine N. Cutter, Pennsylvania State 

University, University Park, PA; Dr. 

James S. Dickson, Iowa State University, 

Ames, IA; Mr. Kevin M. Elfering, 

Albuquerque, NM; Mr. Mike W. 

Finnegan, Montana Meat & Poultry 

Inspection Bureau, Helena, MT; Ms. 

Carol Tucker Foreman, Consumer 

Federation of America, Chevy Chase, 

MD; Dr. Andrea L. Grondahl, North 

Dakota Department of Agriculture, 

Bismarck, ND; Dr. Joseph J. Harris, 

Southwest Meat Association, Bryan, TX; 

Dr. Craig W. Henry, Food Products 

Association, Washington, DC; Ms. 

Cheryl D. Jones, Morehouse School of 

Medicine, Atlanta, GA; Mr. Michael E. 

Kowalcyk, DunnhumbyUSA LLC, 

Cincinnati, OH; Dr. Shelton E. Murinda, 

California State Polytechnic University, 

Pomona, CA; Dr. Edna Negron-Bravo, 

University of Puerto Rico, Mayaguez, 

PR; Dr. Michael L. Rybolt, National 

Turkey Federation, Washington, DC; Mr. 

Mark P. Schad, Schad Meats, Inc., 

Cincinnati, OH; and Dr. Stanley A. 


sroberts on PROD1PC70 with NOTICES