On July 14, 2026, the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) of the U.S. Department of Agriculture issued a significant notice in the Federal Register, signaling its intent to request a revision and extension of approval for an information collection critical to managing the importation of live swine, pork, and pork products. This move directly addresses the ongoing federal effort to prevent the entry and spread of classical swine fever (CSF) within the United States, with a particular focus on specific regions in Brazil, Chile, and Mexico.
The Threat of Classical Swine Fever
Classical swine fever is a highly contagious and often fatal viral disease of pigs. It poses a severe threat to domestic swine populations and, by extension, to the economic stability of the U.S. pork industry. While not a direct threat to human health, outbreaks of CSF can lead to extensive culling of animals, significant trade restrictions, and substantial financial losses for producers. Therefore, federal agencies like APHIS maintain rigorous import controls to establish and preserve the nation's CSF-free status, a cornerstone of its animal health policy and international trade standing.
Under the Animal Health Protection Act, APHIS is empowered to restrict imports of animals and animal products to prevent disease. The existing regulations, codified in 9 CFR part 94, allow for the importation of swine, pork, and pork products from CSF-free regions under certain conditions. However, the notice highlights that designated regions within Brazil, Chile, and Mexico are subject to additional, more stringent restrictions.
Targeted Restrictions and Rationale
These specific regions face heightened scrutiny not because they are considered CSF-affected themselves, but due to practices that could indirectly introduce the virus. APHIS has identified several risk factors: they may supplement their pork supplies by importing fresh pork from CSF-affected regions, use processing methods for such pork that do not meet U.S. standards, share a common land border with CSF-affected regions, or import live swine under conditions less restrictive than what would be acceptable for direct import into the United States. These circumstances necessitate robust information collection to ensure that products from these areas do not serve as conduits for the disease.
The information collection activities in question are comprehensive. They include requirements for certifications for imported pork or pork products, protocols for applying and breaking seals on shipments, requests for approval of defrost facilities, applications for importing small amounts of product, cooperative service agreements, and notifications to Customs and Border Protection inspectors. Additionally, detailed recordkeeping requirements are mandated for certificates, processing procedures, and the origin of hams. These measures collectively form a critical defense against CSF.
The Paperwork Reduction Act and Public Input
APHIS's intention to seek an extension and revision of approval for this information collection is conducted in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995. This Act mandates that federal agencies minimize the information collection burden on the public and regularly review the necessity, accuracy, and utility of such collections. The agency is asking the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to approve the use of these activities for an additional three years.
Notably, APHIS has already amended this information collection by decreasing the estimated number of respondents, responses, and total burden hours. The current estimate places the average public burden at 1.0 hour per response, with an estimated 772 annual respondents, leading to 160,388 annual responses and a total annual burden of 160,391 hours. Respondents include full-time salaried veterinary officers from the governments of Chile, Brazil, and Mexico, along with industry representatives and U.S. importers.
This notice serves as a call for public comment, allowing stakeholders to weigh in on several key aspects: the necessity of the information collection for agency functions, the accuracy of the burden estimate, ways to enhance the quality and clarity of the information, and methods to minimize the burden through technological means, such as electronic submissions. The comment period will remain open until September 14, 2026, with all submissions becoming a matter of public record.
