The USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) is advising the public that the agency is adding European Union (EU) and EU Member State-defined regions of the EU to the APHIS list of regions affected with African swine fever (ASF). APHIS will recognize as affected with ASF any region of the EU that the EU or any EU Member State has placed under restriction because of detection of ASF. These regions currently include portions of Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and Poland, and all of Sardinia. APHIS will list the EU- and EU Member State-defined regions as a single entity. The agency is therefore removing Sardinia as an individually listed region from the APHIS list of ASF affected regions. APHIS is taking this action because of the detection of ASF in Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and Poland.
DATES: The addition of the EU- and EU Member State-defined regions to the APHIS list of regions affected with ASF (Docket No. APHIS-2015-0011) is effective August 31, 2015. APHIS will consider all comments received on or before October 30, 2015.