[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 44 (Monday, March 6, 2000)]
[Notices]
[Page 11758]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-5273]


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 Notices
                                                 Federal Register
 ________________________________________________________________________
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 This section of the FEDERAL REGISTER contains documents other than rules 
 or proposed rules that are applicable to the public. Notices of hearings 
 and investigations, committee meetings, agency decisions and rulings, 
 delegations of authority, filing of petitions and applications and agency 
 statements of organization and functions are examples of documents 
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  Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 44 / Monday, March 6. 2000 / 
Notices  

[[Page 11758]]



DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Agricultural Marketing Service

[TM-00-02]


Notice of Meeting of the National Organic Standards Board

AGENCY: Agricultural Marketing Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: In accordance with the Federal Advisory Committee Act, as 
amended, the Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) announces a 
forthcoming meeting of the National Organic Standards Board (NOSB).

DATES: March 21, 2000, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and March 22, 2000, from 9 
a.m. to 5 p.m. (Pacific Standard Time each day).

PLACE: Embassy Suites Hotel, 7762 Beach Boulevard, Buena Park, 
California 90620, Phone (714) 739-5600.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Keith Jones, Program Manager, Room 
2945 South Building, U.S. Department of Agriculture, AMS, 
Transportation and Marketing, National Organic Program, P.O. Box 96456, 
Washington, D.C. 20090-6456, Phone (202) 720-3252.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Section 2119 (7 U.S.C. 6518) of the Organic 
Foods Production Act of 1990 (OFPA), as amended (7 U.S.C. Section 6501 
et seq.) requires the establishment of the NOSB. The purpose of the 
NOSB is to assist in the development of standards for substances to be 
used in organic production and to advise the Secretary on any other 
aspects of the implementation of OFPA. The NOSB met for the first time 
in Washington, D.C., in March 1992 and currently has six committees 
working on various aspects of the program. The committees are: Crops 
Standards; Processing; Labeling and Packaging; Livestock Standards; 
Accreditation; Materials; and, International Issues.
    In August 1994, the NOSB provided its initial recommendations for 
the National Organic Program (NOP) to the Secretary of Agriculture. 
Since that time, the NOSB has submitted 30 addenda to its 
recommendations and reviewed more than 170 substances for inclusion on 
the National List of Allowed and Prohibited Substances. The last 
meeting of the NOSB was held on October 25-29, 1999, in Washington, 
D.C.
    The U. S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) published its NOP 
proposed rule in the Federal Register on December 16, 1997 (62 FR 
65849). A notice extending the comment period on the proposed rule was 
published in the Federal Register on February 9, 1998 (63 FR 6498-
6499). The comment period was extended until April 30, 1998. On October 
28, 1998, three issue papers for which public comment was requested by 
USDA were published in the Federal Register (63 FR 57624-57626). These 
papers addressed certain issues raised during the comment period. The 
issue papers were: Issue Paper 1--Livestock Confinement in Organic 
Production Systems; Issue Paper 2--The Use of Antibiotics and 
Parasiticides in Organic Livestock Production; and, Issue Paper 3--
Termination of Certification by Private Certifiers. The comment period 
for the issue papers closed December 14, 1998.

Purpose and Agenda

    The principal purposes of this meeting are to provide an 
opportunity for the NOSB to receive committee reports from its standing 
and ad hoc committees to review ethylene for possible inclusion on the 
National List for use to induce flowering in pineapples, and to receive 
briefings on the recently published re-proposed NOP regulation. Copies 
of the NOSB final meeting agenda can be requested from Mrs. Toni 
Strother, Room 2510 South Building, U.S. Department of Agriculture, 
AMS, Transportation and Marketing, NOP, P.O. Box 96456, Washington, 
D.C. 20090-6456, by phone at (202) 720-3252 or by accessing the NOP 
website at http://www.ams.usda.gov/nop after March 8, 2000.

Type of Meeting

    All meetings will be open to the public. The NOSB has scheduled 
time for public input on Wednesday, March 22, 2000, from 1 p.m. until 5 
p.m. at the Embassy Suites Hotel, 7762 Beach Boulevard, Buena Park, 
California 90620. Individuals and organizations wishing to make an oral 
presentation at the meeting should forward the request to Mrs. Strother 
at the above address or by FAX to (202) 205-7808 by close of business 
March 17, 2000. While persons wishing to make a presentation may sign 
up at the door, advance registration will ensure an opportunity to 
speak during the allotted time period and will help the NOSB to better 
manage the meeting and accomplish its agenda. Individuals or 
organizations will be given approximately 5 minutes to present their 
views. All persons making an oral presentation are requested to provide 
their comments in writing, if possible. Written submissions may 
supplement the oral presentation with additional material. Attendees 
who do not wish to make an oral presentation are invited to submit 
written comments to the NOSB at the meeting or to Mrs. Strother after 
the meeting at the above address. All persons submitting written 
comments should provide 25 copies.

    Dated: February 28, 2000.
Eileen S. Stommes,
Deputy Administrator, Transportation and Marketing.
[FR Doc. 00-5273 Filed 3-3-00; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-02-P