(a) African swine fever exists or the Administrator has reason to believe that African swine fever exists in the regions listed under paragraph (a)(2) of this section.

(1) The Administrator bases the reason to believe African swine fever exists in a region on the following factors:

(i) When a region allows the importation of host animals, pork or pork products, or vectors of African swine fever from a region in which African swine fever exists under conditions which the Administrator has determined are less stringent than those prescribed by this chapter for importing host animals, pork or pork products, or vectors of African swine fever into the United States from a region in which African swine fever exists; or

(ii) When a region allows the importation or use of African swine fever virus or cultures under conditions which the Administrator has determined are less stringent than those prescribed by this chapter for the importation or use of African swine fever virus or cultures into or within the United States; or

(iii) When a region has a contiguous border with, or is subject to commercial exchange or natural spread of African swine fever host animals, host materials, or vectors with, another region with known outbreaks of African swine fever; or

(iv) A region's lack of a disease detection, control, or reporting system capable of detecting or controlling African swine fever and reporting it to the United States in time to allow the United States to take appropriate action to prevent the introduction of African swine fever into the United States; or

(v) Any other fact or circumstance found to exist which constitutes a risk of introduction of African swine fever into the United States.

(2) A list of regions where African swine fever exists or the Administrator has reason to believe that African swine fever exists is maintained on the APHIS Web site at http://www.aphis.usda.gov/import__export/animals/animal__disease__status.shtml. Copies of the list will also be available via postal mail, fax, or email upon request to the Sanitary Trade Issues Team, National Center for Import and Export, Veterinary Services, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, 4700 River Road Unit 38, Riverdale, Maryland 20737.

(3) APHIS will add a region to the list upon determining that the disease exists in the region based on reports APHIS receives of outbreaks of the disease from veterinary officials of the exporting country, from the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE), or from other sources the Administrator determines to be reliable, or upon determining that there is reason to believe the disease exists in the region. APHIS will remove a region from the list after conducting an evaluation of the region in accordance with §92.2 of this subchapter and finding that the disease is not present and that there is no reason to believe the disease is present. In the case of a region formerly not on this list that is added due to an outbreak, the region may be removed from the list in accordance with the procedures for reestablishment of a region's disease-free status in §92.4 of this subchapter.

(b) No pork or pork products may be imported into the United States from any region listed in this section unless:

(1) Such pork or pork product has been fully cooked by a commercial method in a container hermetically sealed promptly after filling but before such cooking, so that such cooking and sealing produced a fully-sterilized product which is shelf-stable without refrigeration; or

(2) Such pork or pork product is not otherwise prohibited importation under this part and is consigned directly from the port of arrival in the United States to a meat processing establishment operating under Federal meat inspection, approved by the Administrator, for further processing of such pork or pork product by heat.

(3) Such pork or pork product:

(i) Was processed in a single establishment that meets the requirements in paragraph (b)(5) of this section.

(ii) Was heated by other than a flash-heating method to an internal temperature of at least 69 °C. (156 °F.) throughout after the bones had been removed.

(iii) Is accompanied to the United States by an original certificate stating that all of the requirements of this section have been met. The certificate must be written in English. The certificate must be issued by an official of the national government of the region in which the processing establishment is located. The official must be authorized to issue the foreign meat inspection certificate required by part 327 of chapter III of this title. Upon arrival of the pork or pork products in the United States, the certificate must be presented to an authorized inspector at the port of arrival.

(4) The pork product is pork rind pellets (pork skins) that were cooked in one of the following ways in an establishment that meets the requirements in paragraph (b)(5) of this section:

(i) One-step process. The pork skins must be cooked in oil for at least 80 minutes when oil temperature is consistently maintained at a minimum of 114 °C.

(ii) Two-step process. The pork skins must be dry-cooked at a minimum of 260 °C for approximately 210 minutes after which they must be cooked in hot oil (deep-fried) at a minimum of 104 °C for an additional 150 minutes.

(5) The processing establishment8 in a region listed in this section must comply with the following requirements:

(i) All areas, utensils, and equipment likely to contact the pork or pork products to be processed, including skinning, deboning, cutting, and packing areas, and related utensils and equipment, must be cleaned and disinfected after processing pork or pork products not eligible for export to the United States and before processing any pork or pork products eligible for export to the United States.

(ii) Pork or pork products eligible for export to the United States may not be handled, cut, or otherwise processed at the same time as any pork or pork products not eligible for export to the United States.

(iii) Pork or pork products eligible for export to the United States must be packed in clean new packaging that is clearly distinguishable from that containing any pork or pork products not eligible for export to the United States.

(c) Pork or pork products consigned from the port of arrival to an approved establishment under the provisions of paragraph (b)(2) of this section shall be moved from the port of arrival to the approved establishment under Customs seals or seals of the Administrator, and shall be otherwise handled as the Administrator, may direct in order to guard against the introduction and dissemination of the contagion of African swine fever. Seals applied under this section shall not be broken except by persons authorized to do so by the Administrator.

(d) Pork or pork products imported into the United States from a region listed in this section which do not meet the requirements specified in this section shall be seized, quarantined, and disposed of as the Administrator, may direct in order to guard against the introduction and dissemination of the contagion of the disease.

(Approved by the Office of Management and Budget under control number 0579-0015)

[28 FR 5980, June 13, 1963]