Interstate Movement of Livestock; Approved Livestock Facilities, Hog Cholera Provisions, and Livestock Identification

We are amending the regulations regarding the interstate movement of livestock by combining the provisions for the approval of livestock markets for cattle and bison, horses, and swine into a single section. These changes are the result of a comprehensive review of the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service's regulations, programs, and policies regarding livestock markets and stockyards. We are also removing the regulations that restrict the movement of swine and swine products from areas quarantined for hog cholera and that provide for the payment of compensation to the owners of swine destroyed because of hog cholera. We are removing the hog cholera regulations because the United States has been free of hog cholera since 1978 and import requirements have proven adequate to prevent the reintroduction of the disease into this country. These actions will eliminate unnecessary or duplicative regulations and remove the implication that hog cholera has not yet been eradicated in the United States.