APHIS seeks views on carcase management
Livestock carcases in large numbers can present a potential environmental risk.
The agency must have a plan to manage carcases in a mass animal health emergency to reduce potential risks to humans, livestock, and the surrounding environment.
In the draft EIS, APHIS will look at the environmental effects of various carcase management systems that could be implemented during a mass animal health emergency. The findings of this EIS will be used to support mass animal health emergency planning and decision-making.
Additionally, APHIS would like comment on the publication of the environmental assessment (EA) for the highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI).
This includes all operational aspects of the HPAI response, including surveillance, detection, establishment of quarantines, depopulation of flocks, cleaning and disinfection, transport of biomass, and disposal of biomass.
The agency also published its Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) which evaluated two options – taking no action, which would allow state and local officials to respond to HPAI; or responding to future HPAI outbreaks with federal involvement in collaboration with state and local officials, as was done in the most recent outbreak of HPAI this year – and selected the second option.
