§94.8. Pork and pork products from regions where African swine fever exists or is reasonably believed to exist. — Inbound Citations

(a) Ruminants and swine, and fresh (chilled or frozen) meats, prohibited importation under §§ 94.1, 94.8, 94.9, 94.10, 94.12, 94.14, or 94.18, which come into the United States by ocean vessel and are offered for entry and refused admission into this country, shall be destroyed or otherwise disposed of as the Administrator may direct, unless they are exported by the consignee within 48 hours, and meanwhile are retained under such isolation and other safeguards as the Administrator may require to prevent the introduction or dissemination of livestock diseases into the United States.

(a) The importation of swine casings that originated in or were processed in a region where African swine fever exists, as listed under § 94.8(a) of this subchapter, is prohibited, with the following exception: Swine casings that are processed in a region where African swine fever exists may be imported into the United States under the following conditions:

(1) The swine casings were derived from swine raised and slaughtered in a region not listed under § 94.8(a) of this subchapter.

(2) The casings were shipped from the region of origin to a processing establishment in a region listed under § 94.8(a) of this subchapter in a closed container sealed with serially numbered seals applied by an official of the national government of the region of origin.

(3) The casings were accompanied from the region of origin to the processing establishment by a certificate written in English and signed by an official of the national government of the region of origin specifying the region of origin, the processing establishment to which the swine casings were consigned, and the numbers of the seals applied.

(4) The casings were taken out of the container at the processing establishment only after an official of the national government of the region where the processing establishment is located determined that the seals were intact and free of any evidence of tampering and had so stated on the certificate referred to in paragraph (a)(3) of this section.

(5) The casings were processed at a single processing establishment 1 in a region listed under § 94.8(a) of this subchapter. The processing establishment does not receive or process any live swine and uses only pork and pork products that originate in a region not listed under § 94.8(a) of this subchapter and that are shipped to the processing establishment in accordance with paragraphs (a)(2) through (a)(4) of this section.

(6) The processing establishment is operated by persons who have entered into a valid written compliance agreement with APHIS to maintain on file at the processing establishment for at least 2 years copies of the certificates referred to in paragraph (a)(4) of this section, to allow APHIS personnel to make unannounced inspections as necessary to monitor compliance with the provisions of this section, and to otherwise comply with the provisions of this section.

(7) The processing establishment is operated by persons who have entered into a cooperative service agreement with APHIS. The establishment is current in paying for APHIS personnel to inspect the establishment (it is anticipated that such inspections will occur once per year). In addition, the processing establishment has on deposit with APHIS an unobligated amount equal to the cost for APHIS personnel to conduct one inspection, including travel, salary, subsistence, administrative overhead, and other incidental expenses (including excess baggage provisions up to 150 pounds).

(8) Any compliance agreement may be canceled orally or in writing by the inspector who is supervising its enforcement whenever the authorized inspector finds that such person has failed to comply with the provisions of this section or any conditions imposed by this section. If the cancellation is oral, the decision and the reasons will be confirmed in writing, as promptly as circumstances allow. Any person whose compliance agreement has been canceled may appeal the decision to the Administrator, in writing, within 10 days after receiving written notification of the cancellation. The appeal should state all of the facts and reasons upon which the person relies to show that the compliance agreement was wrongfully canceled. The Administrator will grant or deny the appeal, in writing, stating the reasons for such decision, as promptly as circumstances allow. If there is a conflict as to any material fact, a hearing will be held to resolve such conflict. Rules of Practice governing such a hearing will be adopted by the Administrator.

(9) The casings are 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 in chapter III of this title. Upon arrival of the swine casings in the United States, the certificate must be presented to an authorized inspector at the port of arrival.