[Federal Register Volume 66, Number 44 (Tuesday, March 6, 2001)]
[Notices]
[Pages 13486-13487]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 01-5420]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Food Safety and Inspection Service

[Docket No. 01-011N]


Codex Alimentarius: Meeting of the Codex ad hoc Intergovernmental 
Task Force on Animal Feeding

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), and the Food and Drug Administration 
(FDA), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), are 
sponsoring a public meeting, on Tuesday, March 6, 2001. The purpose of 
this meeting is to provide information and receive public comments on 
agenda items that will be discussed at the 2nd Session of the Codex ad 
hoc Intergovernmental Task Force on Animal Feeding, which will be held 
in Copenhagen, Denmark, on March 19-21, 2001. USDA and FDA recognize 
the importance of providing interested parties the opportunity to 
obtain background information on the 2nd Session of the Codex ad hoc 
Intergovernmental Task Force on Animal Feeding and to address items on 
the Agenda.

DATES: The public meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, March 6, 2001, from 
9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

ADDRESSES: The public meeting will be held in the Conference Room M of 
the Parklawn Building, 5600 Fishers Lane, Rockville, Maryland 20855 
(Twinbrook Metro Station on the Red Line). Reference documents will be 
available for review in the FSIS Docket Room, U.S. Department of 
Agriculture, Food Safety and Inspection Service, Room 102 Cotton Annex, 
300 12th Street, SW., Washington, DC 20250-3700. The documents will 
also be accessible via the World Wide Web at the following address: 
http://www.fao.org/waicent/faoinfo/economic/esn/codex/ccaf02/af01_01e.htm.
    Submit one original and two copies of written comments to the FSIS 
Docket Room and at the address above and reference docket number 01-
011N. All comments submitted in response to this notice will be 
available for public inspection in the FSIS Docket Room between 8:30 
a.m. and 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Patrick J. Clerkin, Associate U.S. 
Manager for Codex, U.S. Codex Office, Food Safety and Inspection 
Service, Room 4861, South Building, 1400 Independence Avenue SW., 
Washington, DC 20250. Telephone (202) 205-7760, Fax: (202) 720-3157. 
Persons requiring a sign language interpreter or other special 
accommodations should notify Mr. Clerkin at the above number.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

    The Codex Alimentarius Commission was established in 1962 by two 
United Nations organizations, the Food and Agriculture Organization 
(FAO) and the World Health Organization (WHO). Codex is the major 
international organization for encouraging fair international trade in 
food and protecting the health and economic interests of consumers. 
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 ensure that the 
world's food supply is sound, wholesome, free from adulteration, and 
correctly labeled. In the United States, USDA, FDA, and the 
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) manage and carry out U.S. Codex 
activities.
    The Codex ad hoc Intergovernmental Task Force on Animal Feeding was 
established by the 23rd Session of the Codex Alimentarius Commission to 
develop Guidelines or Standards as appropriate on Good Animal Feeding 
practices with the aim of ensuring the safety and quality of foods of 
animal origin. The ad hoc Task Force is chaired by Denmark.

Issues To Be Discussed at the Public Meeting

    The provisional agenda items to be discussed during the public 
meeting:
    1. Information paper compiling a list of internationally available 
standards and validated methods for the examination of animal feed.
    2. Information paper on lists established by different governments 
to control the use of prohibited and undesirable substances in animal 
feed or other approaches.
    3. Consideration of the Revised Draft Code of Practice on Good 
Animal Feeding at Step 4.

Public Meeting

    At the March 6th public meeting, the agenda items will be 
described, discussed, and attendees will have the opportunity to pose 
questions and offer comments. Comments may be sent to the FSIS Docket 
Room (see ADDRESSES). Written comments should state that they relate to 
activities of the 2nd ad hoc International Task Force on Animal 
Feeding.

Additional Public Notification

    Public awareness of all segments of rulemaking and policy 
development is important. Consequently, in an effort to better ensure 
that minorities, women, and persons with disabilities are aware of this 
notice, FSIS will announce it and provide copies of this Federal 
Register publication in the FSIS Constituent Update. FSIS provides a 
weekly FSIS Constituent Update, which is communicated via fax to over 
300 organizations and individuals. In addition, the update is available 
on-line through the FSIS web page located at http://www.fsis.usda.gov. 
The update is used to provide information regarding FSIS policies, 
procedures, regulations, Federal Register notices, FSIS public 
meetings, recalls, and any other types of information that could affect 
or would be of interest to our constituents/stakeholders. The 
constituent fax list consists of industry, trade, and farm groups, 
consumer interest groups, allied health professionals, scientific 
professionals, and other individuals that have requested to be 
included. Through these various channels, FSIS is able to provide 
information to a much broader, more diverse audience. For more 
information and to be added to the constituent fax list, fax your 
request to the Congressional and Public Affairs Office, at (202) 720-
5704.


[[Page 13487]]


    Done at Washington, DC on March 1, 2001.
F. Edward Scarbrough,
U.S. Manager for Codex Alimentarius.
[FR Doc. 01-5420 Filed 3-5-01; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-DM-P