Changes in Disease Status of Belgium, France, Greece, Luxembourg, Portugal, and Spain

We are declaring Luxembourg and Portugal free of rinderpest and foot-and-mouth disease; Greece free of rinderpest; France, Greece, Luxembourg, and Spain free of exotic Newcastle disease; Portugal free of African swine fever; and Belgium, France, and Portugal free of swine vesicular disease. These actions are based on a request from the European Commission's Directorate General for Agriculture and on our review of the supporting documentation supplied with that request. These actions will relieve some restrictions on the importation into the United States of certain animals and animal products from those countries. However, because of the status of those countries with respect to other diseases, and because of other factors that could result in a risk of introducing animal diseases into the United States, the importation into the United States of animals and animal products from those countries will continue to be subject to certain restrictions.