FederalRegister.gov regulatory documents
Filter the reviewed cache from January 1, 2025 forward by document type, structured agency, publication date, and source-supplied open comment deadline.
We are reopening the comment period for a request for information soliciting comments regarding appropriate standards for the care of breeding female dogs at dog breeding facilities and exercise and socialization of dogs subject to the Animal Welfare Act. This action will allow interested persons additional time to prepare and submit comments.
The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) of the United States Department of Agriculture is soliciting comments regarding appropriate standards for the care of breeding female dogs at dog breeding facilities and exercise and socialization of dogs subject to the Animal Welfare Act. Information obtained from public comments will help identify outdated standards, new science, and stakeholder interest.
We are proposing to remove the requirement that horses offered for importation to the United States be accompanied by documentation of pre-export examination occurring within 48 hours of departure from the port of embarkation endorsed by a salaried veterinary medical officer. We have found that logistical barriers prevent affected parties from meeting this requirement at this time, and that the other requirements of the regulations are sufficient to ensure that imported horses are free of diseases and pests of livestock.
On May 7, 2024, the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service published in the Federal Register a final rule amending the user fee regulations associated with the agricultural quarantine and inspection program. The final rule went into effect on October 1, 2024, with the exception of the removal of an exemption to the commercial aircraft user fee for small commercial passenger aircraft, which was scheduled to go into effect on April 1, 2025. In this document, we are issuing a postponement of the effective date of the removal of the exemption to the commercial aircraft user fee for small commercial passenger aircraft for 60 days, from April 1, 2025, to June 2, 2025.
On May 8, 2024, we published a final rule amending the horse protection regulations. The amendments to the final rule initially scheduled to go into effect on February 1, 2025, were delayed until April 2, 2025. In this document, we are further delaying the effective date of the amendments effective April 2, 2025, to February 1, 2026. We are also seeking comment on whether the length of this postponement should be extended and soliciting any supplemental information that may help inform a decision regarding an appropriate length of postponement.
We are reopening the comment period for our interim rule that would amend the regulations pertaining to conditions for payment of indemnity for highly pathogenic avian influenza. This action will allow interested persons additional time to prepare and submit comments.
We are reopening the comment period for our proposed rule that would create the regulations governing the US Swine Health Improvement Plan, a voluntary livestock improvement program aimed at improving biosecurity, traceability, and disease surveillance for swine health. This action will allow interested persons additional time to prepare and submit comments.
We are removing the requirement that horses offered for importation to the United States be accompanied by documentation of pre-export examination occurring within 48 hours of departure from the port of embarkation endorsed by a salaried veterinary medical officer. We have found that logistical barriers prevent affected parties from meeting this requirement at this time. This action removes the requirement, while keeping in place other requirements of the regulations.
On May 8, 2024, we published a final rule amending the horse protection regulations. The provisions of the final rule, initially scheduled to go into effect on February 1, 2025, were delayed until April 2, 2025. On March 21, 2025, we published a further delay of the effective date to February 1, 2026, and a request for comment on whether the length of the postponement should be extended. In this document, based on intervening developments since the issuance of the March 21, 2025 delay of effective date, we are further delaying the effective date of the provisions effective February 1, 2026, to December 31, 2026.
We are amending the regulations governing the National Poultry Improvement Plan (NPIP). These amendments, among other things, condition indemnity for low pathogenicity avian influenza on adherence to biosecurity plans, clarify existing provisions of the regulations, fix editorial errors, and align the regulations more closely with current producer practices. These changes were voted on and approved by the voting delegates at the NPIP's 2022 National Plan Conference.
On May 7, 2024, the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service published in the Federal Register a final rule amending the user fee regulations associated with the agricultural quarantine and inspection (AQI) program. The final rule went into effect on October 1, 2024, with the exception of the removal of an exemption from paying the AQI user fee for commercial aircraft with 64 or fewer seats meeting certain conditions. The removal of the exemption would have taken effect on April 1, 2025. On March 21, 2025, we published a notice in the Federal Register delaying the effective date of the removal of the exemption from paying the AQI user fee for small commercial passenger aircraft, until June 2, 2025, and requesting information. As a result of the comments we received on that notice, we decided to delay implementation of the removal of the exemption indefinitely. However, as a result of an editorial error, the exemption had already been removed from the regulations. In this document, we are amending the regulations to restore the exemption from paying the AQI user fee for commercial aircraft with 64 or fewer seats meeting certain conditions.
On December 2, 2024, a Federal court vacated the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) final rule issued on May 18, 2020 (the May 2020 final rule) that revised APHIS' regulations governing the movement of certain genetically modified organisms and was issued under the authority of the Plant Protection Act. APHIS is therefore amending the CFR to conform the CFR to the Federal Court's vacatur of that rule. The Court's vacatur was effective December 2, 2024, and had the legal effect of vacating the May 2020 final rule in its entirety and restoring the legal effect of the pre-May 2020 regulations. These technical conforming amendments revise the CFR to reflect the court's vacatur of the May 2020 final rule.
On May 8, 2024, we published a final rule amending the horse protection regulations to provide, among other provisions, that the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service will screen, train, and authorize qualified persons for appointment by the management of any horse show, horse exhibition, or horse sale or auction to detect and diagnose soring at such events for the purposes of enforcing the Horse Protection Act. With the exception of Sec. 11.19, which went into effect on June 7, 2024, the remainder of the rule was scheduled to go into effect on February 1, 2025. In this document, we are issuing a temporary postponement of the effective date of those regulations for 60 days, from February 1, 2025 to April 2, 2025.
