[Federal Register Volume 75, Number 166 (Friday, August 27, 2010)]
[Notices]
[Pages 52711-52712]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2010-21455]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service

[Docket No. APHIS-2010-0084]


Notice of Request for Approval of an Information Collection; 
National Animal Health Monitoring System; Sheep 2011 Study

AGENCY: Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, USDA.

ACTION: New information collection; comment request.

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SUMMARY: In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this 
notice announces the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service's 
intention to initiate an information collection to support the National 
Animal Health Monitoring System Sheep 2011 Study.

DATES: We will consider all comments that we receive on or before 
October 26, 2010.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments by either of the following methods:
    <bullet> Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to (http://www.regulations.gov/fdmspublic/component/main?main=DocketDetail&d=APHIS-2010-0084) to submit or view comments 
and to view supporting and related materials available electronically.
    <bullet> Postal Mail/Commercial Delivery: Please send one copy of 
your comment to Docket No. APHIS-2010-0084, 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-2010-0084.
    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: For information on the Sheep 2011 
Study, contact Ms. Sandra Warnken, Management and Program Analyst, 
Centers for Epidemiology and Animal Health, VS, APHIS, 2150 Centre 
Avenue, Building B MS 2E3, Fort Collins, CO 80526; (970) 494-7193. 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; Sheep 2011 Study.
    OMB Number: 0579-xxxx.
    Type of Request: Approval of a new 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 
United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is authorized, among 
other things, to protect the health of our Nation's livestock and 
poultry populations by preventing the introduction and interstate 
spread of serious diseases and pests of livestock and for 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 have evolved into 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 data on livestock health. 
Participation in any NAHMS study is voluntary, and all data are 
confidential.
    APHIS plans to conduct the Sheep 2011 Study as part of an ongoing 
series of NAHMS studies on the U.S. livestock population. The 22 States 
targeted for the study account for 85 percent of the ewe inventory in 
the United States on January 1, 2010, and on 70 percent of farms in the 
United States with one or more ewes. The purpose of this study is to 
collect information, through questionnaires and biologic sampling, to:
    <bullet> Describe trends in sheep health and management practices 
from 1996 to 2011.
    <bullet> Describe management and biosecurity practices used to 
control common infectious diseases, including scrapie, ovine 
progressive pneumonia, Johne's disease, and caseous lymphadenitis.
    <bullet> Estimate the prevalence of gastrointestinal parasites and 
anthelmintic resistance.
    <bullet> Estimate the prevalence of Mycoplasma ovipneumonia in 
domestic sheep flocks. Relate presence of the organism in blood and 
nasal secretions to clinical signs and demographic and management 
factors.
    <bullet> Facilitate the collection of information and samples 
regarding causes of abortion storms in sheep.
    <bullet> Determine producer awareness of the zoonotic potential of 
contagious ecthyma (soremouth) and the management practices used to 
prevent transmission of the disease.
    <bullet> Provide serum to include in the serological bank for 
future research.
    The study will consist of a series of on-farm questionnaires, with 
biologic sampling, that will be administered by APHIS-designated data 
collectors. The information collected through the Sheep 2011 Study will 
be analyzed and organized into descriptive reports. Information sheets 
will be derived from these reports, and the data will be disseminated 
to and used by a variety of constituents, including producers, 
veterinarians, stakeholders, academia, and others. The data will help 
APHIS address emerging issues and examine the economic impact of 
selected animal health management practices.

[[Page 52712]]

    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 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 0.8840854 hours per response.
    Respondents: Sheep producers in 22 States.
    Estimated annual number of respondents: 5,500.
    Estimated annual number of responses per respondent: 1.7285454.
    Estimated annual number of responses: 9,507.
    Estimated total annual burden on respondents: 8,405 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 23\rd\ day of August 2010.

Gregory Parham
Acting Administrator, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.
[FR Doc. 2010-21455 Filed 8-26-10: 8:45 am]
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