Importation of Live Birds and Poultry, Poultry Meat, and Poultry Products From a Region in the European Union; Technical Amendment

In a final rule published in the Federal Register on March 29, 2013, and effective on April 15, 2013, we amended the regulations governing the importation of animals and animal products by recognizing 25 Member States of the European Union (EU) as the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS)-defined EU Poultry Trade Region. In that rule, we established requirements for the importation of live birds and poultry, and poultry meat and products, from the APHIS- defined EU Poultry Trade Region. In the final rule, it was not our intent to prohibit the importation of birds, poultry, and poultry meat and products from Member States of the APHIS-defined EU Poultry Trade Region that conduct trade in poultry and poultry products with other regions that APHIS recognizes as being free of Newcastle disease and highly pathogenic avian influenza. It was also not our intent that the import requirements for cooked poultry meat and products from the APHIS- defined EU Poultry Trade Region not be equivalent with the requirements we apply to other regions whenever an outbreak of Newcastle disease or highly pathogenic avian influenza occurs in those regions. This document amends the regulations to reflect our original intentions.