Establishing AWA Standards for Birds; Virtual Public Meetings

Document Headings Document headings vary by document type but may contain the following: the agency or agencies that issued and signed a document the number of the CFR title and the number of each part the document amends, proposes to amend, or is directly related to the agency docket number / agency internal file number the RIN which identifies each regulatory action listed in the Unified Agenda of Federal Regulatory and Deregulatory Actions See the Document Drafting Handbook for more details. Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service 9 CFR Parts 1, 2, and 3 [Docket No. APHIS-2020-0068] AGENCY: Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, USDA. ACTION: Notification of public meeting. SUMMARY: We are notifying the public that the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service will hold virtual listening sessions to receive public input on topics related to the development of regulations regarding the welfare of birds not bred for use in research. DATES: The virtual listening sessions will be held by webinar on Tuesday, September 29, 2020, at 11 a.m. Eastern Daylight Time (EDT); Wednesday, October 7, 2020, at 2 p.m. EDT; and Thursday, October 15, 2020, at 5 p.m. EDT. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dr. Rosemary B. Sifford, Associate Deputy Administrator, Animal Care, APHIS, 4700 River Road, Unit 84, Riverdale, MD 20737; (301) 851-3498; rosemary.sifford@usda.gov . SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Under its regulations in title 9 of the Code of Federal Regulations (9 CFR), issued under the Animal Welfare Act, or AWA ( 7 U.S.C. 2131 et seq. ), the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) enforces requirements for the humane care and treatment of certain animals that are exhibited to the public, sold for use as pets, used in research, or transported commercially. [ 1 ] Although the AWA authorizes the regulation of birds not bred for use in research, APHIS has not to this date promulgated regulations and st…