Notice of Request for Extension of Approval of an Information Collection; National Veterinary Accreditation Program

AGENCY:

Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, USDA.

ACTION:

Extension of approval of an information collection; comment request.

SUMMARY:

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this notice announces the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service's intention to request an extension of approval of an information collection associated with the National Veterinary Accreditation Program.

DATES:

We will consider all comments that we receive on or before March 7, 2006.

ADDRESSES:

You may submit comments by either of the following methods:

• Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to http://www.regulations.gov and, in the “Search for Open Regulations” box, select “Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service” from the agency drop-down menu, then click on “Submit.” In the Docket ID column, select APHIS-2005-0114 to submit or view public comments and to view supporting and related materials available electronically. After the close of the comment period, the docket can be viewed using the “Advanced Search” function in Regulations.gov.
• Postal Mail/Commercial Delivery: Please send four copies of your comment (an original and three copies) to Docket No. 05-049-1, Regulatory Analysis and Development, PPD, APHIS, Station 3A-03.8, 4700 River Road Unit 118, Riverdale, MD 20737-1238. Please state that your comment refers to Docket No. 05-049-1.

Reading Room: You may read any comments that we receive on this docket in our reading room. The reading room is located in Room 1141 of the USDA South Building, 14th Street and Independence Avenue SW., Washington, DC. Normal reading room hours are 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, except holidays. To be sure someone is there to help you, please call (202) 690-2817 before coming.

Other Information: Additional information about APHIS and its programs is available on the Internet at http://www.aphis.usda.gov.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

For information regarding the National Veterinary Accreditation Program, contact Ms. Lynn Thomas, Management Analyst, Surveillance and Identification Programs, National Center for Animal Health Programs, VS, APHIS, 4700 River Road Unit 200, Riverdale, MD 20737-1231; (301) 734-5777. For copies of more detailed information on the information collection, contact Mrs. Celeste Sickles, APHIS' Information Collection Coordinator, at (301) 734-7477.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Title: National Veterinary Accreditation Program.

OMB Number: 0579-0032.

Type of Request: Extension of approval of an information collection.

Abstract: The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) of the U.S. Department of Agriculture is responsible for, among other things, protecting the health of our Nation's livestock and poultry populations by preventing the introduction and spread of serious diseases and pests of livestock and poultry and for eradicating such diseases and pests from the United States when feasible.

To help us accomplish our mission, APHIS' Veterinary Services administers the National Veterinary Accreditation Program. This program certifies private veterinary practitioners to work cooperatively with Federal veterinarians, as well as with State animal health officials, to conduct certain activities for us. Accredited veterinarians are instrumental in increasing our capacity to perform health certifications and conduct extensive disease surveillance and monitoring.

Operating this program requires a number of information gathering activities, including:

• Conducting veterinary accreditation orientation and training.
• Completing animal health certificates.
• Applying and removing official seals.
• Completing test reports.
• Reviewing applications for veterinary accreditation and reaccreditation.
• Recordkeeping.
• Updating information on accredited veterinarians.

We are asking the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to approve our use of these information collection activities for an additional 3 years.

The purpose of this notice is to solicit comments from the public (as well as affected agencies) concerning our information collection. These comments will help us:

(1) Evaluate whether the collection of information is necessary for the proper performance of the functions of the Agency, including whether the information will have practical utility;

(2) Evaluate the accuracy of our estimate of the burden of the information collection, including the validity of the methodology and assumptions used;

(3) Enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected; and

(4) Minimize the burden of the information collection on those who are to respond, through use, as appropriate, of automated, electronic, mechanical, and other collection technologies, e.g., permitting electronic submission of responses.

Estimate of burden: The public reporting burden for this collection of information is estimated to average 0.477348 hours per response.

Respondents: Accredited veterinarians, candidates for the National Veterinary Accreditation Program, and State animal health officials who review applications for veterinary accreditation and reaccreditation.

Estimated annual number of respondents: 63,000.

Estimated annual number of responses per respondent: 2.095936.

Estimated annual number of responses: 132,044.

Estimated total annual burden on respondents: 63,031 hours. (Due to averaging, the total annual burden hours may not equal the product of the annual number of responses multiplied by the reporting burden per response.)

All responses to this notice will be summarized and included in the request for OMB approval. All comments will also become a matter of public record.