Poultry 2025 Small Enterprise Study - Justification Part A OCIO passback comments 5-23-25

UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

SUPPORTING STATEMENT - PART A for

OMB Control Number: 0579-0260

Title: Center for Epidemiology and Animal Health (CEAH), National Animal Health Monitoring System (NAHMS) Poultry 2025 Small Enterprise Study: A National Study of Layers, Broilers, and Turkeys

Andrea Beam

Program Officer

8100 NW 15th Pl

Gainesville, FL, 32606

Cell: (352) 414-8461

USDA, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS)

1400 Independence Ave

Washington DC 20250

Date Prepared: March 2025

Justification

1. Explain the circumstances that make the collection of information necessary. Identify any legal or administrative requirements that necessitate the collection of information. Attach a copy of the appropriate section of each statute and regulation mandating or authorizing the collection of information.

This is a request for reinstatement of an information collection request. The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) is asking the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to approve this request for 3 years.

Collection and dissemination of animal health data and information is authorized by 7 U.S.C. § 391, the Animal Industry Act of 1884, which established the precursor of the APHIS, Veterinary Services, and the Bureau of Animal Industry. Legal requirements for examining and reporting on animal disease detection and control methods were further allowed by 7 U.S.C. § 8308 of the Animal Health Protection Act, “Detection, Control, and Eradication of Diseases and Pests,” May 13, 2002.

In the past, APHIS poultry studies, conducted by National Animal Health Monitoring System (NAHMS) have focused on the commercial table-egg layer industry, small enterprise chicken operations, backyard poultry, and live poultry markets. This submission request is for approval to initiate the Poultry 2025 Small Enterprise Study, which will be the first small enterprise poultry study NAHMS has conducted since 2007 (see https://www.aphis.usda.gov/sites/default/files/poultry07_smallchicken.pdf) and will have a broader focus including turkeys which were previously not included. In particular, the study will also aim to focus on small enterprise operations both within and without close proximity to larger operations as described in the objectives below. The objectives of the study are as follows:

1. Establish baselines for animal health and management practices on U.S. poultry operations with 1,000-74,999 table egg layers inventory, 1,000-99,999 broilers sold or moved annually, and 1,000-29,999 meat turkeys sold or moved annually.

2. Describe management and biosecurity practices of small enterprise operations with a focus on operations in areas of high poultry density and, given the outcome of the sampling, operations in close proximity (less than 1-mile radius) to larger commercial operations.

3. Describe producer preparedness for animal health emergencies, including highly pathogenic avian influenza.

USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) estimated that the value of production from broilers, eggs, turkeys, and the values of sales from chickens in 2020 was $35.5 billion¹. Infectious disease outbreaks in poultry can have large economic impacts. For example, the 2002-2003 outbreak of virulent Newcastle Disease (vND) in the Western United States was estimated to cost the poultry industry $167 million in lost exports over a 14-month period, and while the 2018-2020 outbreak of vND in California primarily affected backyard flocks, the cost of indemnity approved by the USDA during this outbreak was $6.7 million, of which $3.7 million went to affected commercial producers.²

During the HPAI outbreak in 2022 and 2023, USDA transferred $793.7 million to APHIS to respond to the outbreak. As of December 2023, HPAI outbreaks have been found in 47 states and 900 confirmed commercial and backyard flocks.³ Up to date detections and overview of the ongoing outbreak can be found here: Confirmations of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza in Commercial and Backyard Flocks | Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (https://www.aphis.usda.gov/livestock-poultry-disease/avian/avian-influenza/hpai-detections/commercial-backyard-flocks). This study will provide up-to-date data on small enterprise operation practices, including operation management and biosecurity practices, which will be invaluable to disease and emergency preparedness.

This study is designed to collect information on the following flock types and inventories:

• Layers: 1,000-74,999 inventory

• Broilers: 1,000-99,999 sold or moved annually

• Turkeys: 1,000-29,999 sold or moved annually

Analysis of the information collected through the Study will generate descriptive reports, visual reports, and information sheets. APHIS will disseminate these deliverables to industry members, academia, veterinarians, and any other interested stakeholders electronically, including posting publicly on the NAHMS website. It is up to the individual respondent to decide whether to participate. Any published summary data will be available by following the “Poultry Studies” link at: https://www.aphis.usda.gov/nahms.

Collection, analysis, and dissemination of livestock and poultry health information on a national basis are consistent with the APHIS mission of protecting and improving American agriculture’s productivity and competitiveness. In connection with this mission, the NAHMS program includes periodic national commodity studies to investigate animal health related issues and examine general health and management practices. These non-regulatory, voluntary studies are driven by industry and stakeholder interest, and information collected is not available from any other source on a national basis. Information about health and management practices on U.S. small enterprise poultry operations is valuable to the poultry industry as well as many Federal and State partners.

NAHMS staff has completed a needs assessment which was a collaborative effort with researchers, university and extension veterinarians, Federal and State personnel, and clinicians. Additionally, this Study is supported by the APHIS Veterinary Services (VS) Poultry Health team, who helped guide the study focus. The needs assessment results were not published publicly but found that there was a lack of information and a combined desire to increase knowledge around the following topics: up-to-date information on the animal management, operation characteristics, and biosecurity practices of small enterprise poultry operations. This information will be of particular use for emergency and disease preparedness, especially in consideration of the ongoing highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) outbreak in the US. The information gathered was used to determine the Study objectives and design and develop the Study questionnaire.

2. Indicate how, by whom, how frequently, and for what purpose the information is to be used. Except for a new collection, indicate the actual use the agency has made of the information received from the current collection.

Data collected, analyzed, and interpreted will be disseminated to a wide variety of stakeholders. Producers will use the information to compare their operation’s animal health and productivity with other small enterprise flocks. Producer groups and veterinarians will use information derived from analyses to improve preventive measures, information outreach efforts, and biosecurity practices. Extension veterinarians will use the information to identify gaps in disease knowledge, for outbreak planning, and information outreach efforts. State and Federal officials, responsible for regulatory veterinary medicine, will use the information to gain a more complete picture of animal management practices as a basis for program planning, response planning, and to direct research priorities. State and Federal officials will use the data to make scientifically based program and policy decisions. Research scientists will use the information to define current and future animal health issues and direct research programming. Public health officials will also benefit from the availability of these data and use the information in disease preparedness and to better understand this sector of the poultry industry. Veterinary and agricultural students in universities in the U.S. may use this data to provide informational resources and as a foundation for training in such topics as health management, biosecurity practices, and environmental impacts. Other potential benefits from this study include insight into a variety of management characteristics in this stratum of the poultry industry and fulfillment of part of the USDA’s overall mission.

The Small Enterprise Chicken Study, 2007, was NAHMS’ third study of the poultry industry. The study provided national information on biosecurity practices and bird movement on operations with 1,000 to 19,999 chickens. This study will provide updated information on the small enterprise sector and expand upon the previous study, by including broilers, layers, and turkeys. The study will also aim to look at smaller operations in close proximity to large commercial operations and provide additional insight into small enterprise operation practices that are located close to large commercial operations.

APHIS will use the data collected from the Poultry 2025 Small Enterprise Study to:

• Address emerging animal health and disease issues;

• Aid in disease preparedness, such as for highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI);

• Provide estimates of both outcome (disease or other parameters) and exposure (risks and components) variables that can be used in analytic studies in the future by APHIS;

• Provide input into the design of surveillance systems for specific diseases, including avian influenza;

• Provide parameters for animal disease spread models, such as those used to model spread of foreign animal diseases, in addition to diseases currently in the United States such as vND and avian influenza;

• Inform future NAHMS poultry studies;

• Evaluate biosecurity practices of small enterprise producers;

• Determine which information sources on poultry are most likely to be used by the smaller enterprise producer and provide industry and government with the most effective conduit to dispense new information to this demographic.

Poultry 2025 Small Enterprise Study Data Collection Form

NAHMS Poultry 2025 Small Enterprise Study Survey: A survey that will be completed through either paper-assisted self-interview (PASI), computer-assisted self-interview (CASI), or computer-assisted telephone interview (CATI) modes. For the PASI or CASI, the survey will be self-administered by the poultry producer. For the CATI, a NASS enumerator will contact and attempt to administer the survey to any poultry producers who did not complete either the PASI or CASI. For the CATI, NASS data collectors can also contact producers by e-mail or text. This survey collects data on poultry inventory and operation characteristics; biosecurity and other management practices; movement; diseases and health management; and outreach. Producers will receive a postage-paid envelope in the survey packet; this envelope is pre-addressed to a NASS office for data entry. NASS will receive paper forms and enter any data on those forms into an electronic dataset that will be combined with the electronic datasets from the CASI and CATI collections. NASS will securely transfer the dataset along with electronic copies of the scanned completed paper surveys (without producer contact information) to APHIS for data validation. APHIS will store the dataset and surveys in a controlled-access data lab in Fort Collins, Colorado and a secure data enclave.

Supporting documents include the following:

Mailing 1:

Presurvey Letter: This letter will be mailed out to potential respondents, inviting them to participate in the survey.

Launch Sheet: This document will promote the study to respondents and describe the study objectives and benefits of participation.

Producer Education Packet: This will include up to a few info sheets that will be of interest to poultry producers and cover different educational topics.

Mailing 2:

Survey Letter: This letter will inform the respondents about the survey and provide options to complete the survey by mail, web, or phone.

Mailing 3:

Reminder Postcard: This postcard is to remind respondents to respond to the survey.

Mailing 4:

Thank You Note: “Thank you” card sent to respondents who completed the survey, which will include an informational sheet presenting results from the study that could be useful for the producer.

3. Describe whether, and to what extent, the collection of information involves the use of automated, electronic, mechanical, or other technological collection techniques or other forms of information technology, (e.g. permitting electronic submission of responses, and the basis for the decision for adopting this means of collection). Also describe any consideration of using information technology to reduce burden.

APHIS makes every effort to comply with the E-Government Act, 2002 (E-Gov) and to provide for alternative submission of information collections. APHIS will use electronic technologies to help promote and administer the Study. All producers will receive the NAHMS Poultry 2025 Small Enterprise Study Survey in a hard-copy (paper) survey, but respondents will have the option to complete the survey electronically via CASI or over the telephone via CATI, both of which will be administered by NASS. These additional means of collection are being used to expand access to the study survey for those who need or prefer electronic or telephone options for participating in the study; providing these means will reduce burden for producers who would have difficulty or limited time for completing and mailing back a paper survey. Since this data collection is conducted once approximately every 8-10 years; it would not be cost productive to create an electronic web-based system. The results of this study will be located on the NAHMS website: https://www.aphis.usda.gov/livestock-poultry-disease/nahms.

4. Describe efforts to identify duplication. Show specifically why any similar information already available cannot be used or modified for use for the purpose(s) described in item 2 above.

There is no similar data collection available.  Every effort has been made to avoid duplication. Literature searches for existing data relevant to the small enterprise component have been performed. Available data were reviewed and compiled from all known sources. Sources reviewed include cooperative State research, publications, other Federal and State agencies, and universities. Personnel from Federal agencies and academia were consulted in their areas of expertise to identify potential duplication. NAHMS is collaborating with the USDA-Economic Resource Services (ERS), USDA-Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS), and USDA-Agricultural Research Service (ARS) on the Broilers 2025 Agricultural Resource Management Survey (ARMS) planning. The ARMS will be implemented at the end of 2025. The last time ERS conducted the ARMS Boilers survey was in 2011 (0535-0218 Agriculture and Resource Management and Chemical Use Surveys). Both NAHMS and ERS are working with NASS for survey administration, and we anticipate minimal overlap of sampled operations; the ERS study will primarily target larger broiler operations. Further, the questionnaire focus does not overlap. The last similar study to the NAHMS Poultry 2025 Small Enterprise Study was the NAHMS 2007 Small Enterprise Chicken Study. No other entity is collecting this type of data on small enterprise operations and at the national level.

5. If the collection of information impacts small businesses or other small entities, describe the methods used to minimize burden.

It is expected that approximately 80% of the sample will be small entities.

The Study is designed to collect data from selected producers who are willing to participate and thus not burden producers who feel they do not have the time to participate. Producers who choose to participate will be able to complete the survey by whichever mode (PASI, CASI, or CATI) is most convenient for them, which will minimize potential impacts on business operations. In addition, the Study does not require any enumerator to set foot on a producer’s operation, so producers do not need to set aside time and physical space to meet face-to-face with enumerators. Stakeholder and producer input into the survey has been solicited to ensure that information collected is relevant, timely, and of appropriate complexity. Response to any portion of the Study is voluntary.

6. Describe the consequence to federal program or policy activities if the collection is not conducted or is conducted less frequently, as well as any technical or legal obstacles to reducing burden.

This data collection is voluntary and is a one-time data collection (survey). Respondents will receive up to 4 mailings as listed in Question 2. Almost twenty years have passed since the last NAHMS Poultry Small Enterprise Chicken Study in 2007 and a new look at health and management practices is needed. Small enterprise operations are an important area of interest which directly impacts the U.S. poultry industry as a whole. Determining the health status of the U.S. poultry industry must include the small enterprise sector and this data collection is critical to understanding how to better aid and provide outreach to this sector in general, as well as during emergencies such as HPAI.

The type and quality of data collected by the NAHMS through national on-farm collections is unique, no other entity is collecting this type of information in the U.S. Without this type of national data, the U.S.’ ability to detect trends in management, production, and health status, either directly or indirectly, would be reduced or nonexistent. The possibility to predict likely disease spread scenarios and detect trends in management, production, and health status on small enterprise operations would be reduced or nonexistent. Furthermore, the ability to respond to international trade issues involving the health status and production practices of the U.S. small enterprise poultry population would be severely reduced, potentially impacting the global marketability of animals, meat, and byproducts. Disease spread models would not have the necessary parameters to more accurately predict the spread of an outbreak. These models are very useful for emergency preparedness and response.

7. Explain any special circumstances that require the collection to be conducted in a manner inconsistent with the general information collection guidelines in 5 CFR 1320.5, such as:

• requiring respondents to report information to the agency more often than quarterly;

• requiring respondents to prepare a written response to a collection of information in fewer than 30 days after receipt of it;

• requiring respondents to submit more than an original and two copies of any document;

• requiring respondents to retain records, other than health, medical, government contract, grant-in-aid, or tax records for more than 3 years;

• in connection with a statistical survey, that is not designed to produce valid and reliable results that can be generalized to the universe of study;

• requiring the use of a statistical data classification that has not been reviewed and approved by OMB;

• that includes a pledge of confidentiality that is not supported by authority established in statute or regulation, that is not supported by disclosure and data security policies that are consistent with the pledge, or which unnecessarily impedes sharing of data with other agencies for compatible confidential use; or

• requiring respondents to submit proprietary trade secret, or other confidential information unless the agency can demonstrate that it has instituted procedures to protect the information’s confidentiality to the extent permitted by law.

No special circumstances exist that would require this collection to be conducted in a manner inconsistent with the general information collection guidelines in 5 CFR 1320.5.

8. Describe efforts to consult with persons outside the agency to obtain their views on the availability of data, frequency of collection, the clarity of instructions and recordkeeping, disclosure, or reporting form, and on the data elements to be recorded, disclosed, or reported. If applicable, provide a copy and identify the date and page number of publication in the Federal Register of the agency’s notice, soliciting comments on the information collection prior to submission to OMB.

As noted, NASS has been instrumental in helping APHIS reinstate this information collection. See Supporting Statement Part B for the NASS experts. We regularly consult with individuals regarding study objectives, goals, and plans. Our experts contributed to needs assessments by providing questions relevant to biosecurity and poultry health management. Using their current research in animal disease management, they helped to recommend and provide feedback on numerous survey questions that are beneficial to stakeholders. The experts also encourage participation and help to promote the Study at national conferences and contribute to promotional materials.

The following people were consulted during the planning and coordination of the Study:

Dr. Jarra Jagne, Professor of Practice

Department of Public & Ecosystem Health, Avian Health Program

Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine

Tel: 607-253-4031

Dr. Jagne contributed by providing input into the topic areas covered by the study questionnaire during the needs assessment phase, suggesting survey questions, and reviewing the questionnaire and providing feedback. She also helped to make connections with other study consultants with poultry subject matter expertise.

Dr. Kayla Niel, Assistant Clinical Professor and Avian Diagnostic & Outreach Veterinarian

Pennsylvania State University

University Park, PA

Tel: 814-863-3036

Dr. Niel contributed by providing input into the topic areas covered by the study questionnaire during the needs assessment, suggesting survey questions, and reviewing the questionnaire and providing feedback. She also helped to make connections with other study consultants with poultry subject matter expertise and helped with the study launch sheet. As the Chair of the United States Animal Health Association (USAHA) Committee on Poultry and Other Avian Species, Dr. Niel may be able to provide additional future opportunities to promote the study.

Dr. Sherill Davison, Poultry Lab

New Bolton Center

University of Pennsylvania

Tel: 610-636-1683

Dr. Davison contributed by providing input into the topic areas covered by the study questionnaire during the needs assessment, suggesting survey questions, and reviewing the questionnaire and providing feedback. She also helped to make connections with other study consultants with poultry subject matter expertise, and she supplied a quote for the study launch sheet.

On December 19, 2024, APHIS-NAHMS published a notice in the Federal Register (89 FR 103770) inviting the public and other Federal Agencies to comment on plans to submit this request. APHIS-NAHMS received one (1) comment, but it was not germane to the study.

9. Explain any decision to provide any payment or gift to respondents, other than remuneration of contractors or grantees.

APHIS-NAHMS will not provide any payments or gifts to respondents.

10. Describe any assurance of confidentiality provided to respondents and the basis for the assurance in statute, regulation, or agency policy.

The Poultry 2025 Small Enterprise Study will be collected under the Confidential Information Protection and Statistical Efficiency Act of 2018, Title III of Pub. L. No. 115-435, codified in 44 U.S.C. Ch. 35 and other applicable Federal laws. Only the NASS enumerators will have direct knowledge of the participant’s identity and participant’s survey information. All forms, data, and reports will refer to the respondent by a numeric code, which is assigned by NASS. Any completed surveys and any data containing PII will be stored securely in a secured, air-gapped data lab or secure data enclave. All completed survey forms received by NAHMS will be stored securely in a limited access records room or in a secure data enclave. Completed questionnaires received via mail will be scanned and will have the name and address information “blacked out” by NASS prior to sending to APHIS. Names, addresses, and personal information will not be collected for NAHMS use and therefore no connection can be made between a completed questionnaire and a respondent’s information.

Additionally, NASS has statutory protection that allows them to keep on-farm data (such as producer name and address information) confidential. Several U.S. Codes apply to data collected by NASS:

• Title 7, Section 2276 - Confidentiality of Information.

• Title 18, Section 1902 - Disclosure of Crop Information and Speculation Thereon.

• Title 18, Section 1905 - Disclosure of Confidential Information Generally.

There are also additional protections available through CIPSEA:

• Title III of Pub. L. No. 115-435, Section 3572f. Fines and Penalties.

• Title III of Pub. L. No. 115-435, Section 3572c. Disclosure of Statistical Data or Information.

Every NASS and APHIS employee or other individual that may handle a questionnaire, or data coming from a completed questionnaire, is required to sign a form governing certification and restrictions on use of unpublished data according to Title III of Pub. L. No. 115-435, Section 3572e. Designation of Agents. Furthermore, once data is published, individuals are limited to the use of aggregate data files. Access to individual data files is restricted to maintain respondent confidentiality. Only summary estimates based upon the inference population will be reported.

To inform the respondent of the data protection, the following confidentiality statement will be included on the data collection instruments.

The information you provide will be used for statistical purposes only. Your responses will be kept confidential and any person who willfully discloses ANY identifiable information about you or your operation is subject to a jail term, a fine, or both. This survey is conducted in accordance with the Confidential Information Protection and Statistical Efficiency Act of 2018, Title III of Pub. L. No. 115-435, codified in 44 U.S.C. Ch. 35 and other applicable Federal laws. For more information on how we protect your information please visit: https://www.nass.usda.gov/confidentiality. Response is voluntary.

According to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, an agency may not conduct or sponsor, and a person is not required to respond to, a collection of information unless it displays a valid OMB control number. The valid OMB number for this information collection is 0579-0260. The time required to complete this information collection is estimated to average 60 minutes per response, including the time to review instructions, search existing data resources, gather the data needed, and complete and review the information collected. Send comments regarding this burden statement or any other aspect of this information collection, including suggestions for reducing this burden, to APHIS.PRA@usda.gov.

11. Provide additional justification for any questions of a sensitive nature, such as sexual behavior or attitudes, religious beliefs, and other matters that are commonly considered private. This justification should include the reasons why the agency considers the questions necessary, the specific uses to be made of the information, the explanation to be given to persons from whom the information is requested, and any steps to be taken to obtain their consent.

There are no questions of a sensitive nature used in this collection activity.

12. Provide estimates of the hour burden of the collection of information.

• Indicate the number of respondents, frequency of response, annual hour burden, and an explanation of how the burden was estimated. If this request for approval covers more than one form, provide separate hour burden estimates for each form and aggregate the hour burdens in item 13 of OMB form 83-I.

An estimated 2,872 burden hours are needed to complete the Poultry 2025 Small Enterprise Study information collection activity. A detailed burden estimate has been included on the enclosed APHIS 71 Form.

• Provide estimates of annualized cost to respondents for the hour burdens for collections of information, identifying and using the correct wage rate categories.

Estimated respondent costs for the information collection proposed are calculated based on a data collection estimate mean of $46.75 per hour and a multiplicative factor of 1.4205 for benefits costs. The total estimated respondent cost for the Poultry 2025 Small Enterprise Study is $190,725. (2,872 hours x $46.75 x 1.4205).

The wage estimate was obtained from the May 2024 Occupational Employment and Wages report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics release USDL-24-0628 (https://www.bls.gov/news.release/pdf/ocwage.pdf) for farmers, ranchers, and other agriculture managers (Table 1).

According to DOL BLS news release USDL-24-2561, (https://www.bls.gov/news.release/pdf/ecec.pdf), benefits account for 29.6 percent of employee costs for private industry workers, and wages account for the remaining 70.4 percent. Mathematically, total costs can be calculated as a function of wages using a multiplier of 1.4205.

13. Provide estimates of the total annual cost burden to respondents or recordkeepers resulting from the collection of information. (Do not include the cost of any hour burden in items 12 and 14). The cost estimates should be split into two components: (a) a total capital and start-up cost component (annualized over its expected useful life); and (b) a total operation and maintenance and purchase of services component.

There are no capital/start-up costs or ongoing operations and maintenance costs for respondents or record keepers associated with this information collection.

14. Provide estimates of annualized cost to the Federal government. Provide a description of the method used to estimate cost and any other expense that would not have been incurred without this collection of information.

The estimated cost to the Federal Government is $742,861.80. For more specific information, please see the APHIS 79 Form.

15. Explain the reasons for any program changes or adjustments reported in items 13 or 14 of the OMB Form 83-I.

This is a reinstatement of a previously approved information collection with updated documents, OMB control number 0579-0260, for poultry small enterprise study. It involves an estimated 5,525 respondents, 18,399 responses, and 2,872 hours of burden.

The 60-day FRN reported the following: 5,525 respondents, 5,525 responses, and 1,947 hours of burden.

This was based on the way the hours were reported historically, in which the separate mailings were not accounted for individually. We have adjusted the way it is reported for the 30-day FRN by separating out each of the mailings and counting each mailing as a response. Additional burden time was added for the Producer Education Packet (supplementary material).

16. For collections of information whose results are planned to be published, outline plans for tabulation and publication.

Information from this survey will be summarized immediately following the collection, editing, and validation of the data. Data will be entered into a database management system, and statistical calculations will be performed, e.g., descriptive statistics including frequency distribution, prevalence, and point estimates. Variance measures and confidence intervals for the point estimates will be calculated in order to describe the precision of the descriptive statistics generated. SAS survey procedures, SUDAAN software from Research Triangle Institute (RTI International), and/or R software survey functions will be used to correctly calculate the standard error to account for the complex study design. Standard errors will be published along with the point estimates.

Considerable effort has been made to reduce the time between the end of data collection and release of a final publication. Electronic information in the form of dashboards and PDF reports from the study will be made available to producers, universities, researchers, practitioners, animal health related industries, Federal agencies, legislators, and any other interested party. Copies of current and past information from the NAHMS studies are available on the NAHMS website: https://www.aphis.usda.gov/nahms.

17. If seeking approval to not display the expiration date for OMB approval of the information collection, explain the reasons that display would be inappropriate.

The OMB approval expiration date will be displayed.

18. Explain each exception to the certification statement identified in the “Certification for Paperwork Reduction Act.”

APHIS is able to certify compliance with all provisions in the Paperwork Reduction Act.

1¹ USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service. Poultry – Production and Value. 2020 Summary. April 2021. https://www.nass.usda.gov/Publications/Todays_Reports/reports/plva0421.pdf

² Epidemiologic Analyses of Virulent Newcastle Disease in Poultry in California (usda.gov). https://www.aphis.usda.gov/sites/default/files/epi-analy-vnd-poultry-calif.pdf

³ Congressional Research Service. Agricultural Disaster Assistance. RS21212 (congress.gov). https://crsreports.congress.gov/product/pdf/RS/RS21212. Updated December 12, 2023.

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