Addition of the Kingdom of Lesotho, the Republic of Benin, and the Republic of Botswana to the List of Regions Affected With Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza

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 [Docket No. APHIS-2021-0066] AGENCY: Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, USDA. ACTION: Notice. SUMMARY: We are advising the public that we added the Kingdom of Lesotho, the Republic of Benin, and the Republic of Botswana to the list of regions that the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service considers to be affected by highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI). These actions follow our imposition of HPAI-related restrictions on avian commodities originating from or transiting the Kingdom of Lesotho, the Republic of Benin, and the Republic of Botswana, as a result of the confirmation of HPAI in the Kingdom of Lesotho, the Republic of Benin, and the Republic of Botswana. DATES: The Kingdom of Lesotho, the Republic of Benin, and the Republic of Botswana were added to the list of regions APHIS considers to be affected with HPAI, effective respectively on June 8, 2021; August 26, 2021; and September 10, 2021. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For further information regarding HPAI in the Kingdom of Lesotho and the Republic of Benin, contact Dr. John Grabau, APHIS Veterinary Services, Regionalization Evaluation Services, Strategy and Policy, 920 Main Campus Drive, Venture II, Raleigh, NC 27606; phone: (919) 855-7738; email: AskRegionalization@usda.gov . For further information regarding HPAI in the Republic of Botswana, contact Dr. C. Aaron Monroy, APHIS Veterinary Services, Regionalization Evaluation Ser…