[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 14 (Monday, January 23, 2012)]
[Notices]
[Pages 3229-3230]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office
[FR Doc No: 2012-1160]
[[Page 3229]]
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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Food Safety and Inspection Service
[Docket No. FSIS-2011-0035]
Codex Alimentarius Commission: Codex Committee on Pesticide
Residues (CCPR)
AGENCY: Office of the Under Secretary for Food Safety, USDA.
ACTION: Notice of public meeting and request for comments.
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SUMMARY: The Office of the Under Secretary for Food Safety, U.S.
Department of Agriculture (USDA), Food Safety and Inspection Service
(FSIS), and the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA),
are sponsoring a public meeting on February 14, 2012. The objective of
the public meeting is to provide information and receive public
comments on agenda items and draft United States (U.S.) positions that
will be discussed at the 44th Session of the Codex Committee on
Pesticide Residues (CCPR) of the Codex Alimentarius Commission (Codex),
which will be held in Shanghai, P.R. China April 23-28, 2012. The Under
Secretary for Food Safety and EPA recognize the importance of providing
interested parties the opportunity to obtain background information on
the 44th Session of the CCPR and to address items on the agenda.
DATES: The public meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, February 14, 2012,
from 1 p.m.-3 p.m.
ADDRESSES: The public meeting will be held at EPA, Room S-7100, One
Potomac Yard South; 2777 South Crystal Drive, Arlington, Virginia
22202. Documents related to the 44th Session of the CCPR will be
accessible via the World Wide Web at the following address: http://www.codexalimentarius.org/.
Lois Rossi, U.S. Delegate to the 44th session of the CCPR, and EPA,
invite U.S. interested parties to submit their comments electronically
to the following email address: Rossi.Lois@epamail.epa.gov.
Call-In Number
If you wish to participate in the public meeting for the 44th
Session of the CCPR by conference call, please use the call-in numbers
and participant codes listed below:
United States Call in Number: 1-(866) 299-3188.
United States Participant Code: (703) 305-6463.
International Call in Number: 1-(706) 758-1822.
International Participant Code: (703) 305-6463.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION ABOUT THE 44TH SESSION OF THE CCPR CONTACT:
Lois Rossi, Director of Registration Division, Office of Pesticide
Programs, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Ariel Rios Building,
1200 Pennsylvania Avenue NW., Washington, DC 20460, telephone: (703)
305-5447, fax: (703) 305-6920, email: Rossi.Lois@epamail.epa.gov.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION ABOUT THE PUBLIC MEETING CONTACT: Doreen Chen-
Moulec, U.S. Codex Office, 1400 Independence Avenue SW., Room 4861,
Washington, DC 20250, telephone: (202) 205-7760, fax: (202) 720-3157,
email: Doreen.Chen-Moulec@fsis.usda.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background
Codex was established in 1963 by two United Nations organizations,
the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Health
Organization (WHO). Through adoption of food standards, codes of
practice, and other guidelines developed by its committees, and by
promoting their adoption and implementation by governments, Codex seeks
to protect the health of consumers and ensure that fair practices are
used in trade.
The CCPR is responsible for establishing maximum limits for
pesticide residues in specific food items or in groups of food;
establishing maximum limits for pesticide residues in certain animal
feeding stuffs moving in international trade where this is justified
for reasons of protection of human health; preparing priority lists of
pesticides for evaluation by the Joint FAO/WHO Meeting on Pesticide
Residues (JMPR); considering methods of sampling and analysis for the
determination of pesticide residues in food and feed; considering other
matters in relation to the safety of food and feed containing pesticide
residues; and establishing maximum limits for environmental and
industrial contaminants showing chemical or other similarity to
pesticides, in specific food items or groups of food.
The CCPR is hosted by China.
Issues To Be Discussed at the Public Meeting
The following items on the agenda for the 44th Session of the CCPR
will be discussed during the public meeting:
Matters Referred to the CCPR by Codex and Codex Committees
Matters of Interest Arising from FAO and WHO
Matters of Interest Arising from Other International
Organizations
Report on Items of General Consideration by the 2011 JMPR
Report on the 2011 JMPR Responses to Specific Concerns
Raised by the CCPR
Draft and Proposed Draft Maximum Residue Limits (MRLs) for
Pesticides in Foods and Feeds at Step 7 and 4
Pilot Project for the JMPR Recommendation of MRLs before
National Governments or Other Regional Registration Authorities for a
Global Joint Review of a Chemical Substance
Update on the Pilot Project and the Progress of the
National Global Joint Review
Draft Revision of the Codex Classification of Foods and
Animal Feeds at Step 7: Fruit Commodity Groups (Excluding Edible
Flowers and Assorted Tropical and Sub-tropical Fruits--Edible and
Inedible Peel)
Draft Revision of the Codex Classification of Foods and
Animals at Step 7: Fruit Commodity Groups: Edible Flowers and Assorted
Tropical and Sub-tropical Fruits Edible and Inedible Peel
Proposed Draft Revision of the Codex Classification of
Foods and Animal Feeds at Step 4: Selected Vegetable Commodity Groups
Draft Principles and Guidance for the Selection of the
Representative Commodities for the Extrapolation of MRLs for Pesticides
for Commodity Groups at Step 7
Discussion Paper on the Guidance to Facilitate the
Establishment of MRLs for Pesticides for Minor Crops and Specialty
Crops
Revision of the Risk Analysis Principles Applied by the
Codex Committee on Pesticide Residues
Establishment of Codex Priority Lists of Pesticides
Other Business and Future Work
Discussion Paper on JMPR Resource Issues in the Provision
of Scientific Advice to CCPR
Each issue listed will be fully described in documents distributed,
or to be distributed, by the Secretariat prior to the meeting. Members
of the public may access copies of these documents (see ADDRESSES).
Public Meeting
At the February 14, 2012, public meeting, draft U.S. positions on
the agenda items will be described and discussed, and attendees will
have the opportunity to pose questions and offer comments. Written
comments may be offered at the meeting or sent to Lois Rossi, U.S.
Delegate for the 44th Session of the CCPR (see ADDRESSES). Written
comments should state that they relate to activities of the 44th
Session of the CCPR.
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Additional Public Notification
FSIS will announce this notice online through the FSIS Web page
located at http://www.fsis.usda.gov/regulations_&_policies/Federal_Register_Notices/index.asp.
FSIS will also make copies of this Federal Register publication
available through the FSIS Constituent Update, which is used to provide
information regarding FSIS policies, procedures, regulations, Federal
Register notices, FSIS public meetings, and other types of information
that could affect or would be of interest to constituents and
stakeholders. The Update is communicated via Listserv, a free
electronic mail subscription service for industry, trade groups,
consumer interest groups, health professionals, and other individuals
who have asked to be included. The Update is also available on the FSIS
Web page. In addition, FSIS offers an electronic mail subscription
service which provides automatic and customized access to selected food
safety news and information. This service is available at http://www.fsis.usda.gov/News_&_Events/Email_Subscription/. Options range
from recalls to export information to regulations, directives, and
notices. Customers can add or delete subscriptions themselves, and have
the option to password protect their accounts.
USDA Nondiscrimination Statement
USDA prohibits discrimination in all its programs and activities on
the basis of race, color, national origin, gender, religion, age,
disability, political beliefs, sexual orientation, and marital or
family status (Not all prohibited bases apply to all programs).
Persons with disabilities who require alternative means for
communication of program information (Braille, large print, and
audiotape) should contact USDA's Target Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice
and TTY).
To file a written complaint of discrimination, write USDA, Office
of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights, 1400 Independence Avenue
SW., Washington, DC 20250-9410 or call (202) 720-5964 (voice and TTY).
USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer.
Done at Washington, DC, on January 17, 2012.
Karen Stuck,
U.S. Manager for Codex Alimentarius.
[FR Doc. 2012-1160 Filed 1-20-12; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-DM-P