44152 Federal Register / Vol. 82, No. 182 / Thursday, September 21, 2017 / Notices 

We solicited comments on the EA for 

30 days ending August 14, 2017. We 

received 28 comments by that date. 

With one exception, the comments 

supported the proposed release. 

In this document, we are advising the 

public of our finding of no significant 

impact (FONSI) regarding the release of 

Hypena opulenta into the continental 

United States for use as a biological 

control agent to reduce the severity of 

swallow-wort infestations. The finding, 

which is based on the EA, reflects our 

determination that release of this 

biological control agent will not have a 

significant impact on the quality of the 

human environment. Written responses 

to comments we received on the EA can 

be found in appendix 4 of the EA. 

The EA and FONSI may be viewed on 

the Regulations.gov Web site (see 

footnote 1). Copies of the EA and FONSI 

are also available for public inspection 

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. In addition, copies may 

be obtained by calling or writing to the 

individual listed under FOR FURTHER

INFORMATION CONTACT. 

The EA and FONSI have been 

prepared in accordance with: (1) The 

National Environmental Policy Act of 

1969 (NEPA), as amended (42 U.S.C. 

4321 et seq.), (2) regulations of the 

Council on Environmental Quality for 

implementing the procedural provisions 

of NEPA (40 CFR parts 1500–1508), (3) 

USDA regulations implementing NEPA 

(7 CFR part 1b), and (4) APHIS’ NEPA 

Implementing Procedures (7 CFR part 

372). 

Done in Washington, DC, this 15th day of 

September 2017. 

Jere L. Dick, 

Acting Administrator, Animal and Plant 

Health Inspection Service. 

[FR Doc. 2017–20122 Filed 9–20–17; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3410–34–P 

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

Animal and Plant Health Inspection 

Service 

[Docket No. APHIS–2017–0059] 

International Sanitary and 

Phytosanitary Standard-Setting 

Activities 

AGENCY: Animal and Plant Health 

Inspection Service, USDA. 

ACTION: Notice and request for 

comments. 

SUMMARY: In accordance with legislation 

implementing the results of the Uruguay 

Round of negotiations under the General 

Agreement on Tariffs and Trade, we are 

informing the public of the international 

standard-setting activities of the World 

Organization for Animal Health, the 

Secretariat of the International Plant 

Protection Convention, and the North 

American Plant Protection Organization, 

and we are soliciting public comment 

on the standards to be considered. 

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments 

by either of the following methods: 

• Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to 

http://www.regulations.gov/ 

#!docketDetail;D=APHIS-2017-0059. 

• Postal Mail/Commercial Delivery: 

Send your comment to Docket No. 

APHIS–2017–0059, 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-2017-0059 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 

general information on the topics 

covered in this notice, contact Ms. 

Jessica Mahalingappa, Assistant Deputy 

Administrator for Trade and Capacity 

Building, International Services, APHIS, 

Room 1132, USDA South Building, 14th 

Street and Independence Avenue SW., 

Washington, DC 20250; (202) 799–7121. 

For specific information regarding 

standard-setting activities of the World 

Organization for Animal Health, contact 

Dr. Michael David, Director, 

International Animal Health Standards 

Team, National Import Export Services, 

VS, APHIS, 4700 River Road, Unit 33, 

Riverdale, MD 20737–1231; (301) 851– 

3302. 

For specific information regarding the 

standard-setting activities of the 

International Plant Protection 

Convention, contact Dr. Marina Zlotina, 

IPPC Technical Director, International 

Phytosanitary Standards, PPQ, APHIS, 

4700 River Road Unit 130, Riverdale, 

MD 20737; (301) 851–2200. 

For specific information on the North 

American Plant Protection Organization, 

contact Ms. Patricia Abad, NAPPO 

Technical Director, International 

Phytosanitary Standards, PPQ, APHIS, 

4700 River Road, Unit 130, Riverdale, 

MD, 20737; (301) 851–2264. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Background 

The World Trade Organization (WTO) 

was established as the common 

international institutional framework for 

governing trade relations among its 

members in matters related to the 

Uruguay Round Agreements. The WTO 

is the successor organization to the 

General Agreement on Tariffs and 

Trade. U.S. membership in the WTO 

was approved by Congress when it 

enacted the Uruguay Round Agreements 

Act (Pub. L. 103–465), which was 

signed into law on December 8, 1994. 

The WTO Agreements, which 

established the WTO, entered into force 

with respect to the United States on 

January 1, 1995. The Uruguay Round 

Agreements Act amended Title IV of the 

Trade Agreements Act of 1979 (19 

U.S.C. 2531 et seq.). Section 491 of the 

Trade Agreements Act of 1979, as 

amended (19 U.S.C. 2578), requires the 

President to designate an agency to be 

responsible for informing the public of 

the sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) 

standard-setting activities of each 

international standard-setting 

organization. The designated agency 

must inform the public by publishing an 

annual notice in the Federal Register 

that provides the following information: 

(1) The SPS standards under 

consideration or planned for 

consideration by the international 

standard-setting organization; and (2) 

for each SPS standard specified, a 

description of the consideration or 

planned consideration of that standard, 

a statement of whether the United States 

is participating or plans to participate in 

the consideration of that standard, the 

agenda for U.S. participation, if any, and 

the agency responsible for representing 

the United States with respect to that 

standard. 

‘‘International standard’’ is defined in 

19 U.S.C. 2578b as any standard, 

guideline, or recommendation: (1) 

Adopted by the Codex Alimentarius 

Commission (Codex) regarding food 

safety; (2) developed under the auspices 

of the World Organization for Animal 

Health (OIE, formerly known as the 

Office International des Epizooties) 

regarding animal health and welfare and 

zoonoses; (3) developed under the 

auspices of the Secretariat of the 

International Plant Protection 

Convention (IPPC) and the North 

American Plant Protection Organization 

(NAPPO) regarding plant health; or (4) 


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established by or developed under any 

other international organization agreed 

to by the member countries of the North 

American Free Trade Agreement 

(NAFTA) or the member countries of the 

WTO. 

The President, pursuant to 

Proclamation No. 6780 of March 23, 

1995 (60 FR 15845), designated the 

Secretary of Agriculture as the official 

responsible for informing the public of 

the SPS standard-setting activities of 

Codex, OIE, IPPC, and NAPPO. The 

United States Department of 

Agriculture’s (USDA’s) Food Safety and 

Inspection Service (FSIS) informs the 

public of Codex standard-setting 

activities, and USDA’s Animal and 

Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) 

informs the public of OIE, IPPC, and 

NAPPO standard-setting activities. 

FSIS publishes an annual notice in 

the Federal Register to inform the 

public of SPS standard-setting activities 

for Codex. Codex was created in 1962 by 

two United Nations organizations, the 

Food and Agriculture Organization and 

the World Health Organization. It is the 

major international organization for 

encouraging international trade in food 

and protecting the health and economic 

interests of consumers. 

APHIS is responsible for publishing 

an annual notice of OIE, IPPC, and 

NAPPO activities related to 

international standards for plant and 

animal health and representing the 

United States with respect to these 

standards. Following are descriptions of 

the OIE, IPPC, and NAPPO 

organizations and the standard-setting 

agenda for each of these organizations. 

We have described the agenda that each 

of these organizations will address at 

their annual general sessions, including 

standards that may be presented for 

adoption or consideration, as well as 

other initiatives that may be underway 

at the OIE, IPPC, and NAPPO. 

The agendas for these meetings are 

subject to change, and the draft 

standards identified in this notice may 

not be sufficiently developed and ready 

for adoption as indicated. Also, while it 

is the intent of the United States to 

support adoption of international 

standards and to participate actively 

and fully in their development, it 

should be recognized that the U.S. 

position on a specific draft standard will 

depend on the acceptability of the final 

draft. Given the dynamic and interactive 

nature of the standard-setting process, 

we encourage any persons who are 

interested in the most current details 

about a specific draft standard or the 

U.S. position on a particular standardsetting issue, or in providing comments 

on a specific standard that may be under 

development, to contact APHIS. Contact 

information is provided at the beginning 

of this notice under FOR FURTHER

INFORMATION CONTACT. 

OIE Standard-Setting Activities 

The OIE was established in Paris, 

France, in 1924 with the signing of an 

international agreement by 28 countries. 

It is currently composed of 181 

Members, each of which is represented 

by a delegate who, in most cases, is the 

chief veterinary officer of that country 

or territory. The WTO has recognized 

the OIE as the international forum for 

setting animal health standards, 

reporting global animal disease events, 

and presenting guidelines and 

recommendations on sanitary measures 

relating to animal health. 

The OIE facilitates intergovernmental 

cooperation to prevent the spread of 

contagious diseases in animals by 

sharing scientific research among its 

Members. The major functions of the 

OIE are to collect and disseminate 

information on the distribution and 

occurrence of animal diseases and to 

ensure that science-based standards 

govern international trade in animals 

and animal products. The OIE aims to 

achieve these through the development 

and revision of international standards 

for diagnostic tests, vaccines, and the 

safe international trade of animals and 

animal products. 

The OIE provides annual reports on 

the global distribution of animal 

diseases, recognizes the free status of 

Members for certain diseases, 

categorizes animal diseases with respect 

to their international significance, 

publishes bulletins on global disease 

status, and provides animal disease 

control guidelines to Members. Various 

OIE commissions and working groups 

undertake the development and 

preparation of draft standards, which 

are then circulated to Members for 

consultation (review and comment). 

Draft standards are revised accordingly 

and are then presented to the OIE World 

Assembly of Delegates (all the Members) 

for review and adoption during the 

General Session, which meets annually 

every May. Adoption, as a general rule, 

is based on consensus of the OIE 

membership. 

The next OIE General Session is 

scheduled for May 20 to May 25, 2018, 

in Paris, France. The Chief Trade 

Advisor for APHIS’ Veterinary Services 

program serves as the official U.S. 

Delegate to the OIE at this General 

Session. The Deputy Administrator for 

APHIS’ Veterinary Services program 

serves as the Alternate Delegate. 

Information about OIE draft Terrestrial 

and Aquatic Animal Health Code 

chapters may be found on the Internet 

at http://www.aphis.usda.gov/animalhealth/export-animals-oie or by 

contacting Dr. Michael David (see FOR

FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT above). 

OIE Terrestrial and Aquatic Animal 

Health Code Chapters Adopted During 

the May 2017 General Session 

Sixteen Code chapters were amended, 

rewritten, or newly proposed and 

presented for adoption at the General 

Session. The following Code chapters 

are of particular interest to the United 

States: 

1. Glossary 

Several definitions, including the 

definitions for infection, infestation and 

animal health were updated and 

adopted. 

2. Chapter 1.2., Criteria for the Inclusion 

of Diseases, Infections and Infestations 

in the OIE List 

Text in this existing chapter was 

modified for clarity and consistency and 

was adopted by the Members. 

3. Chapter 1.3., Diseases, Infections and 

Infestations Listed by the OIE 

Text in this Code chapter had a minor 

modification for clarity. 

4. Chapter 2.X., Criteria Applied by the 

OIE on Assessing the Safety of 

Commodities 

This is a new Code chapter that was 

adopted this year. It provides clear 

guidance for determining general 

treatments and procedures for the safe 

trade of animal products. 

5. Chapter 4.16., High Health Status 

Horse Subpopulation 

A minor change was made in this 

existing chapter that was adopted and 

supported by the Members. 

6. Chapter 5.3., OIE Procedures Relevant 

to the Agreement on the Application of 

SPS Measures of the World Trade 

Organization 

Text in this existing Code chapter was 

modified for clarity and consistency. 

7. Chapter 6.X., Prevention and Control 

of Salmonella in Bovines and Chapter 

6.Y., Prevention and Control of 

Salmonella in Pigs 

These two chapters are new Code 

chapters that were adopted this year and 

are intended to provide Member 

countries with guidance for preventing 

and controlling Salmonella in cattle and 

pig herds. 


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8. Chapter 7.11., Animal Welfare and 

Dairy Cattle Production Systems 

This chapter was adopted in 2015. 

Some additional changes were made 

and adopted that clarified the space 

requirement recommendations. 

9. Chapter 7.12., Welfare of Working 

Equids 

This chapter was adopted in 2016. 

Changes were made this year to further 

clarify the influencing factors that 

determine work and resting 

requirements for working equids. 

10. Chapter 8.X., Infection With 

Mycobacterium Tuberculosis Complex 

This chapter was completely revised 

to bring the recommendations up to date 

with current scientific knowledge. 

11. Chapter 10.4., Infection With Avian 

Influenza 

The text in this existing chapter was 

changed to update the heat treatment 

parameters for inactivating the virus in 

certain egg products. The modified text 

was accepted and adopted. 

12. Chapter 11.11., Infection With 

Lumpy Skin Disease Virus 

The text in this existing chapter was 

updated to reflect current control and 

testing methods. The updated chapter 

was accepted and adopted. 

13. Chapter 15.1., Infection With 

African Swine Fever Virus 

The text in this existing chapter was 

updated to incorporate state of the art 

science and terminology for clarity and 

consistency. The modified text was 

accepted and adopted. 

14. Chapter 15.X., Infection With 

Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory 

Syndrome (PRRS) Virus 

This is a newly adopted chapter and 

includes recommendations for the safe 

trade of meat, as well as a listing of safe 

commodities that can be traded 

regardless of the PRRS situation in a 

country. 

The following Aquatic chapters were 

revised and adopted, and are of 

particular interest to the United States: 

• Chapter 1.5., Criteria for Listing 

Species as Susceptible to Infection with 

a Specific Pathogen. 

• Chapter 2.2.7., Infection for White 

Spot syndrome Virus. 

OIE Terrestrial Animal Health Code 

Chapters for Upcoming and Future 

Review 

• Glossary. 

• Chapter 4.3., Zoning and 

Compartmentalization. 

• Chapter 4.8., Collection and 

Processing of In Vitro Embryos from 

Livestock and Equids. 

• Chapter 4.X., Vaccination. 

• Chapter 4.Y., Management of 

Outbreaks of Listed Diseases. 

• Chapter 6.1., The Role of Veterinary 

Services in Food Safety. 

• Chapter 6.7., Harmonization of 

National AMR Surveillance and 

Monitoring Program. 

• Chapter 6.Z., Introduction 

Veterinary Public Health. 

• Chapter 7.1., Guiding Principle on 

the Use of Animal-Based Measures. 

• Chapter 7.X., Animal Welfare and 

Pig Production Systems. 

• Chapter 8.3., Infection with 

Bluetongue Virus. 

• Chapter 8.4., Infection with 

Brucella abortus, B. melitensis and B. 

suis. 

• Chapter 8.8., Infection with Foot 

and Mouth Disease. 

• Chapter 8.15., Infection with 

Rinderpest Virus. 

• Chapter 15.1., Infection with 

African Swine Fever Virus. 

• Chapter 15.2., Infection with 

Classical Swine Fever Virus. 

IPPC Standard-Setting Activities 

The IPPC is a multilateral convention 

adopted in 1952 to prevent the spread 

and introduction of pests of plants and 

plant products and to promote 

appropriate measures for their control. 

The WTO recognizes the IPPC as the 

standard setting body for plant health. 

Under the IPPC, the understanding of 

plant protection encompasses the 

protection of both cultivated and noncultivated plants from direct or indirect 

injury by plant pests. The IPPC 

addresses the following activities: 

Developing, adopting, and 

implementing international standards 

for phytosanitary (plant health) 

measures (ISPMs); harmonizing 

phytosanitary activities through 

emerging standards; facilitating the 

exchange of official and scientific 

information among countries; and 

providing technical assistance to 

developing countries that are 

contracting parties to the Convention. 

The IPPC is deposited within the 

Food and Agriculture Organization of 

the United Nations, and is an 

international agreement of 183 

contracting parties. National plant 

protection organizations (NPPOs), in 

cooperation with regional plant 

protection organizations, the 

Commission on Phytosanitary Measures 

(CPM), and the Secretariat of the IPPC, 

implement the Convention. The IPPC 

continues to be administered at the 

national level by plant quarantine 

officials, whose primary objective is to 

safeguard plant resources from injurious 

pests. In the United States, the NPPO is 

APHIS’ Plant Protection and Quarantine 

(PPQ) program. 

The 12th Session of the CPM took 

place from April 5 to 11, 2017, in 

Incheon, Republic of Korea. The Deputy 

Administrator for APHIS’ PPQ program 

was the U.S. delegate to the CPM. 

The CPM adopted the following 

standards at its 2017 meeting. The 

United States, represented by the 

Deputy Administrator for APHIS’ PPQ 

program, participated in deliberations of 

these standards. The United States 

developed its position on each of these 

issues prior to the CPM session, which 

were based on APHIS’ analyses and 

other relevant information from other 

U.S. Government agencies and 

interested stakeholders: 

• ISPM 38: International movement of 

seeds 

• Annex 1: Arrangements for 

verification of compliance of 

consignments by the importing 

country in the exporting country to 

ISPM 20 (Guidelines for a 

phytosanitary import regulatory 

system) 

• ISPM 39: International movement of 

wood 

• ISPM 40: International movement of 

growing media in association with 

plants for planting 

• ISPM 41: International movement of 

used vehicles, machinery and 

equipment 

• Phytosanitary treatments (PTs) as 

Annexes to ISPM 28: Phytosanitary 

treatments for regulated pests 

Æ PT 22-Sulfuryl fluoride fumigation 

treatment for insects in debarked 

wood 

Æ PT 23-Sulfuryl fluoride fumigation 

treatment for nematodes and insects 

in debarked wood 

Æ PT 24-Cold treatment for Ceratitis 

capitata on Citrus sinensis 

Æ PT 25-Cold treatment for Ceratitis 

capitata on Citrus reticulata x C. 

sinensis 

Æ PT 26-Cold treatment for Ceratitis 

capitata on Citrus limon 

Æ PT 27-Cold treatment for Ceratitis 

capitata on Citrus paradisi 

Æ PT 28-Cold treatment for Ceratitis 

capitata on Citrus reticulata 

Æ PT 29-Cold treatment for Ceratitis 

capitata on Citrus clementina 

Æ PT 30-Vapour heat treatment for 

Ceratitis capitata on Mangifera 

indica 

Æ PT 31-Vapour heat treatment for 

Bactrocera tryoni on Mangifera 

indica 

• Diagnostic protocols (DPs) as Annexes 

to ISPM 27: Diagnostic protocols for 

regulated pests 


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1For more information on the IPPC draft ISPM 

consultation: https://www.aphis.usda.gov/aphis/ 

ourfocus/planthealth/sa_international/sa_

phytostandards/ct_draft_standards. 

2 IPPC List of topics: https://www.ippc.int/en/ 

core-activities/standards-setting/list-topics-ippcstandards/. 

3 IPPC Web site: https://www.ippc.int/. 

Æ DP 13: Erwinia amylovora 

Æ DP 14: Xanthomonas fragariae 

Æ DP 15: Citrus tristeza virus 

Æ DP 16: Genus Liriomyza Mik 

Æ DP 17: Aphelenchoides besseyi, A. 

ritzemabosi and A. fragariae 

Æ DP 18: Anguina spp. 

Æ DP 19: Sorghum halepense 

Æ DP 20: Dendroctonus ponderosae 

Æ DP 21: Candidatus Liberibacter 

solanacearum 

Æ DP 22: Fusarium circinatum 

In addition to adopting 25 plant 

health standards, the 2017 Commission 

meeting also progressed a number of 

plant health initiatives strategically 

important to the United States. These 

initiatives include advancing the 

development of a new IPPC strategic 

framework for 2020–2030 to set the top 

priorities for plant health and trade, 

launching a pilot of a global electronic 

certification system to support trade 

(ePhyto), developing programs aimed at 

improving the use and implementation 

of standards around the world, and 

creating a task force for addressing pests 

issues associated with the international 

movement of sea containers. 

New IPPC Standard-Setting Initiatives, 

Including Those in Development 

A number of expert working group 

(EWG) meetings or other technical 

consultations took place during 2017 on 

the topics listed below. These standardsetting initiatives are under 

development and may be considered for 

future adoption. APHIS intends to 

participate actively and fully in each of 

these working groups. APHIS developed 

its position on each of the topics prior 

to the working group meetings. The 

APHIS position was based on technical 

analyses, information from other U.S. 

Government agencies, and relevant 

scientific information from interested 

stakeholders: 

• EWG meeting on the Authorization of 

Entities to Perform Phytosanitary 

Actions 

• EWG meeting on the Revision of ISPM 

8: Determination of pest status in an 

area 

• Technical Panel for the Glossary of 

Phytosanitary Terms 

• Technical Panel on Diagnostic 

Protocols 

• Technical Panel on Phytosanitary 

Treatments 

For more detailed information on the 

above, contact Dr. Marina Zlotina (see 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT

above). 

PPQ actively works to achieve broad 

participation by States, industry, and 

other stakeholders in the development 

and use of international and regional 

plant health standards. Plant health 

stakeholders are strongly encouraged to 

comment on draft standards, 

documents, and specifications during 

the consultation periods. In 2017, 13 

standards (including phytosanitary 

treatments and pest diagnostic 

protocols) and 3 draft specifications 

were open for first and second 

consultation. APHIS posts links to draft 

standards on the Internet as they 

become available and provides 

information on the due dates for 

comments.1 Additional information on 

IPPC standards (including the IPPC 

work program (list of topics), 2 standardsetting process, and adopted standards) 

is available on the IPPC Web site.3 For 

the most current information on official 

U.S. participation in IPPC activities, 

including U.S. positions on standards 

being considered, contact Dr. Marina 

Zlotina (see FOR FURTHER INFORMATION

CONTACT above). Those wishing to 

provide comments on any of the areas 

of work being undertaken by the IPPC 

may do so at any time by responding to 

this notice (see ADDRESSES above) or by 

providing comments through Dr. 

Zlotina. 

NAPPO Standard-Setting Activities 

NAPPO, a regional plant protection 

organization created in 1976 under the 

IPPC, coordinates the efforts among the 

United States, Canada, and Mexico to 

protect their plant resources from the 

entry, establishment, and spread of 

harmful plant pests, while facilitating 

intra- and inter-regional trade. As the 

NPPO of the United States, APHIS–PPQ 

is the organization officially identified 

to participate in NAPPO. Through 

NAPPO, APHIS works closely with its 

regional counterparts and industries to 

develop harmonized regional standards 

and approaches for managing pest 

threats. NAPPO conducts its work 

through priority-driven annual projects 

approved by the NAPPO Executive 

Committee and conducted by expert 

groups, including subject matter experts 

from each member country and regional 

industry representatives. Project results 

and updates are provided during the 

NAPPO annual meeting. Projects can 

include the development of positions, 

policies, or technical documents, or the 

development or revision of regional 

standards for phytosanitary measures 

(RSPMs). Projects can also include 

implementation of standards or other 

capacity development activities such as 

workshops. 

The 41st NAPPO annual meeting will 

be held October 16 to 19, 2017, in 

Merida, Yucatan, Mexico. The NAPPO 

Executive Committee meetings will take 

place on October 16 and 20, 2017. The 

Deputy Administrator for PPQ is the 

U.S. member of the NAPPO Executive 

Committee. 

The NAPPO expert groups (including 

member countries’ subject matter 

experts) finalized the following regional 

standards, documents, or projects in 

2016: 

• Grains: Finalized a NAPPO 

discussion document that supported the 

development of a draft IPPC standard 

for the international movement of grain 

in an effort to be consistent with North 

American grain trade objectives and 

reviewed and updated RSPM 13: 

Guidelines to establish, maintain and 

verify Karnal bunt pest free areas in 

North America. 

• Biological Control: Developed an 

English online training course on 

preparing a petition for the first release 

of an entomophagous biological control 

agent, based on RSPM 12. The module 

is aimed to educate stakeholders on the 

petition process for new biocontrol 

products and to help NAPPO member 

countries improve the quality of 

petitions received for consideration. 

• Diversion from Intended Use: 

Drafted a discussion document on 

diversion from intended use aimed to 

inform NAPPO member countries on 

this phytosanitary concept. 

• Forestry: NAPPO partnered with the 

Inter-American Institute for Cooperation 

on Agriculture and other regional plant 

protection organizations in the 

Americas to hold a regional workshop 

in August 2016 aimed at enhancing 

global compliance with the IPPC 

international standard for wood 

packaging materials (ISPM 15) to further 

reduce the threat of wood and forest 

pests in trade. 

• Potato: Revised the pest list for 

RSPM 3: Movement of potatoes into a 

NAPPO member country and eliminated 

Annex 6 of RSPM 3 on pre-shipment 

testing for PVYN during the 5-year 

review. Continued to review RSPM 3 in 

light of ISPM 33: Pest free potato 

(Solanum sp.) micropropagative 

material and minitubers for 

international trade. 

• Foundational documents: Updated 

the NAPPO Constitution and By-Laws 

and approved the NAPPO 2016–2020 

Strategic Plan. 


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4NAPPO Work Program: http://nappo.org/ 

english/710/status-current-nappo-projects/. 

5For more information on the NAPPO draft 

RSPM consultation: https://www.aphis.usda.gov/ 

aphis/ourfocus/planthealth/sa_international/sa_

phytostandards/ct_draft_standards. 

6NAPPO Web site: http://nappo.org/. 

New NAPPO Standard-Setting 

Initiatives, Including Those in 

Development 

The 2017 work program 4 includes the 

following topics being worked on by 

NAPPO expert groups. APHIS intends to 

participate actively and fully in the 

2017 NAPPO work program. The APHIS 

position on each topic will be guided 

and informed by the best technical and 

scientific information available, as well 

as on relevant input from stakeholders. 

For each of the following, the United 

States will consider its position on any 

draft standard after it reviews a 

prepared draft. Information regarding 

the following NAPPO projects, 

assignments, activities, and updates on 

meeting times and locations may be 

obtained from the NAPPO Web site or 

by contacting Ms. Patricia Abad (see FOR

FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT above). 

1. Asian Gypsy Moth: Develop a 

NAPPO document on validation of the 

specified risk periods for Asian gypsy 

moth in countries of origin. 

2. Biological Control: Develop a 

Spanish module on preparing a petition 

for first release of entomophagous 

biological control agents, based on the 

English module prepared in 2016. 

3. Electronic Phytosanitary 

Certification: Provide assistance and 

technical support to the IPPC ePhyto 

Steering Group. 

4. Forestry: Work to finalize a NAPPO 

standard on the potential use of systems 

approaches to manage pest risks 

associated with the movement of wood, 

taking into account comments received 

from April to June 2017 country 

consultation period. 

5. Grains: Develop a NAPPO 

discussion document on a harmonized 

approach to prevent introduction and 

spread of Khapra beetle (Trogoderma 

granarium). 

6. Lymantriids: Develop a NAPPO 

Science and Technology paper on the 

risks associated with Lymantriids of 

potential concern to the NAPPO region. 

7. Phytosanitary Alert System (PAS): 

Manage the NAPPO pest reporting 

system. 

8. Advancing key phytosanitary 

concepts: (a) Review stakeholder input 

on topic of diversion from intended use; 

(b) Finalize a discussion document on 

‘‘interpretation of existing guidance’’ in 

standards on evaluation of the 

likelihood of establishment component 

of a pest risk analysis (PRA) for 

quarantine pests, taking into account 

comments received from April to May 

2017 country consultation period; and 

(c) Organize an international 

symposium on inspection sampling to 

support proper and harmonized 

implementation of ISPM 23: Guidelines 

for Inspection and ISPM 31: 

Methodologies for sampling of 

consignments in the NAPPO region and 

internationally. NAPPO, with 

substantial APHIS–PPQ support, 

welcomed 122 participants from 27 

countries to the first-ever International 

Symposium for Risk-Based Sampling, 

held from June 16–21, 2017. 

9. Potato: Continue to review RSPM 3 

to align it with ISPM 33: Pest free potato 

(Solanum sp.) micropropagative 

material and minitubers for 

international trade. 

10. Seeds: Finalize NAPPO discussion 

document on harmonized criteria for 

evaluating phytosanitary seed 

treatments, taking into account 

comments received from April to May 

2017 country consultation period. 

11. Foundation and Procedure 

documents: Update various foundation 

or procedure documents. 

The PPQ Assistant Deputy 

Administrator, as the official U.S. 

delegate to NAPPO, intends to 

participate in the adoption of these 

regional plant health standards and 

projects, including the work described 

above, once they are completed and 

ready for such consideration. 

The information in this notice 

contains all the information available to 

us on NAPPO standards under 

development or consideration. For 

updates on meeting times and for 

information on the expert groups that 

may become available following 

publication of this notice, visit the 

NAPPO Web site or contact Ms. Patricia 

Abad (see FOR FURTHER INFORMATION

CONTACT above). PPQ actively works to 

achieve broad participation by States, 

industry, and other stakeholders in the 

development and use of international 

and regional plant health standards. 

Plant health stakeholders are strongly 

encouraged to comment on draft 

standards, documents, and 

specifications. APHIS posts links to 

draft standards on the Internet as they 

become available and provides 

information on the due dates for 

comments.5 Additional information on 

NAPPO standards (including the 

NAPPO Work Program, standard setting 

process, and adopted standards) is 

available on the NAPPO Web site.6

Information on official U.S. 

participation in NAPPO activities, 

including U.S. positions on standards 

being considered, may also be obtained 

from Ms. Abad. Those wishing to 

provide comments on any of the topics 

being addressed in the NAPPO work 

program may do so at any time by 

responding to this notice (see 

ADDRESSES above) or by transmitting 

comments through Ms. Abad. 

Done in Washington, DC, this 18th day of 

September 2017. 

Jere L. Dick, 

Acting Administrator, Animal and Plant 

Health Inspection Service. 

[FR Doc. 2017–20119 Filed 9–20–17; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3410–34–P 

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

Animal and Plant Health Inspection 

Service 

[Docket No. APHIS–2017–0060] 

Addition of Zimbabwe to the List of 

Regions Affected by Highly Pathogenic 

Avian Influenza 

AGENCY: Animal and Plant Health 

Inspection Service, USDA. 

ACTION: Notice. 

SUMMARY: We are advising the public 

that we are adding Zimbabwe to the list 

of regions that the Animal and Plant 

Health Inspection Service considers to 

be affected by highly pathogenic avian 

influenza (HPAI). This action follows 

our imposition of HPAI-related 

restrictions on avian commodities 

originating from or transiting Zimbabwe 

as a result of the confirmation of HPAI 

in Zimbabwe. 

DATES: Zimbabwe was added to the list 

of regions under temporary restrictions 

on June 1, 2017. Zimbabwe is added to 

the list of regions considered to be 

affected by HPAI as of September 21, 

2017. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. 

Javier Vargas, Import Risk Analyst, 

National Import Export Services, VS, 

APHIS, 4700 River Road, Unit 38, 

Riverdale, MD 20737; (301) 851–3300; 

Javier.Vargas@aphis.usda.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The 

regulations in 9 CFR part 94 (referred to 

below as the regulations) govern the 

importation of certain animals and 

animal products into the United States 

to prevent the introduction of various 

animal diseases, including Newcastle 

disease and highly pathogenic avian 

influenza (HPAI). The regulations 

prohibit or restrict the importation of 

live poultry, poultry meat, and other 

poultry products from regions where 

these diseases are considered to exist. 


asabaliauskas on DSKBBXCHB2PROD with NOTICES