Change in Disease Status of Belgium Because of BSE

We are adopting as a final rule, without change, an interim rule that added Belgium to the list of regions where bovine spongiform encephalopathy exists. We took this action because bovine spongiform encephalopathy was detected in a cow in Belgium. The effect of the interim rule was to prohibit the importation of ruminants that have been in Belgium and meat, meat products, and certain other products of ruminants that have been in Belgium. The interim rule was necessary to reduce the risk that bovine spongiform encephalopathy could be introduced into the United States.