APHIS Finalizes Import Rules for BSE Risk Classification
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) has announced a final rule intended to bring its import regulations for bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) in line with “internationally-accepted scientific literature and standards set by the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE).” According to a November 1, 2013, press release, the new rule will require APHIS to use OIE criteria and categories to determine BSE risk classification when setting import policy for a particular country. It will also allow APHIS “to conduct its own assessment when deemed necessary, such as when a country is not yet classified by the OIE for BSE risk and requests that APHIS conduct a risk evaluation using criteria equivalent to that used by OIE.”
“This action will bring our BSE import regulations in line with international standards, which call for countries to base their trade policies on the actual risk of animals or products harboring the disease,” said APHIS Deputy Administrator and Chief Veterinary Officer John Clifford. “Making these changes will further demonstrate to our trading partners our commitment to international standards and sound science, and we are hopeful it will help open new markets and remove remaining restrictions on U.S. products.”
Effective 90 days after publication in the Federal Register, the regulation will not alter other risk mitigation measures currently in place, such as the BSE surveillance program and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s ruminantto-ruminant feed ban. Additional details about the draft version of the final rule appear in Issue 432 of this Update.
