Daily News Update, Jan. 30, 2008

USDA proposes additional port for control of Mexican cattle

The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS)  proposed a rule on Wednesday to include an additional port in San Luis, Ariz. for controlling the entry of cattle from Mexico.

To protect American livestock, cattle from Mexico must be inspected individually at APHIS-approved facilities on the Mexican side of the border and be certified free of ticks. If ticks are found, the cattle must be dipped in a solution to kill the parasites. The cattle then are held in quarantine for 10 to 14 days before being re-inspected. If additional ticks are found, the animals must be dipped and quarantined again. 

Under current APHIS regulations, tick-infested and exposed cattle from Mexico may only enter the United States through a single port in New Mexico (Santa Teresa) and six ports in Texas (Brownsville, Del Rio, Eagle Pass, Hidalgo, Laredo and Presidio). APHIS proposes to open the port in San Luis, Ariz. as the western-most point capable of accepting these animals from Mexico.

An estimated 68,000 cattle currently enter the United States through the New Mexico port and an estimated 500,000 cattle currently enter through the Texas ports. An additional 25,000 to 50,000 cattle would be expected to enter through the port in Arizona.

Cattle fever caused from ticks was eradicated from the United States in 1961, with the exception of a permanent quarantine zone along the Texas/Mexico border.

This proposed rule and request for comments was published in the Jan. 29 Federal Register.

Consideration will be given to comments received on or before March 31. Send an original and two copies of postal mail or commercial delivery comments to:

Docket No. APHIS-2007-0095, Regulatory Analysis and Development, PPD, APHIS, Station 3A-03.8, 4700 River Road, Unit 118, Riverdale, MD 20737-1238.

Comments can be submitted on the Federal eRulemaking portal at http://www.regulations.gov/fdmspublic/component/main?main=
DocketDetail&d=APHIS-2007-0095. Click on "Add Comments" to view public comments and related materials available electronically.

Comments are posted on the Regulations.gov Web site and also can be reviewed at USDA, Room 1141, South Building, 14th Street and Independence Ave., S.W., Washington, DC, between 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, excluding holidays. To facilitate entry into the comment reading room, please call 202/690-2817.