WHEREAS, based on the official report submitted by Dr. John Clifford, Deputy Administrator of the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) to the Office lnternationale Des Epizooties (OIE) on August 8, 2013, the Avian Influenza event in Scott County, Arkansas, USA has been officially resolved;

WHEREAS, multiple rounds of Avian Influenza testing within the 10- kilometer affected zone has been completed to demonstrate that the outbreak of Low Pathogenic Notifiable Avian Influenza (LPNAI) in poultry has been contained and eradicated;

WHEREAS, in compliance with Chapter 10.4, Article 10.4.4 of the OIE Terrestrial Animal Health Code on Avian Influenza, the Scott County in Arkansas, USA is now free of the H7N7 LPNAI;

WHEREAS, based on the evaluation of the Department of Agriculture - Bureau of Animal Industry (DA-BAI, the risk of contamination from importing poultry and poultry products from Scott County, Arkansas, USA is negligible;

NOW, THEREFORE, I, PROCESO J. ALCALA, Secretary of the Department of Agriculture, by the powers vested in me by law, do hereby lift the temporary ban on the importation of domestic and wild birds including day old chicks, eggs and semen originating from Scott County, Arkansas, USA.

All import transactions of the above products shall be in accordance with the existing rules and regulations of the DA-BAI and National Meat Inspection Service (NMIS).

All orders, rules and regulations or parts thereof which are inconsistent with the provision of this Order are hereby repealed or amended accordingly.

This ORDER shall take effect immediately.

(SGD) PROCESO J. ALCALA
Secretary