[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 55 (Wednesday, March 22, 2006)]
[Notices]
[Pages 14493-14494]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 06-2788]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Agricultural Marketing Service

[Doc. No. TM-06-07]


Notice of Meeting of the National Organic Standards Board

AGENCY: Agricultural Marketing Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

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

DATES: The meeting dates are Wednesday, April 19, 2006, 1 p.m. to 5 
p.m.; and Thursday, April 20, 2006, 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Requests from 
individuals and organizations wishing to make an oral presentation at 
the meeting are due by the close of business on April 7, 2006.

ADDRESSES: The meeting will take place at the Ramada Conference Center, 
1450 South Atherton Street, State College, PA. Requests for copies of 
the NOSB meeting agenda, requests to make an oral presentation at the 
meeting, or written comments may be sent to Ms. Katherine Benham at 
USDA-AMS-TMD-NOP, 1400 Independence Avenue, SW., Room 4008-So., Ag Stop 
0268, Washington, DC 20250-0200. Requests to make an oral presentation 
at the meeting may also be sent via facsimile to Ms. Katherine Benham 
at (202) 205-7808 or electronically to Ms. Katherine Benham at 
[email protected].

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Katherine E. Benham, Advisory Board 
Specialist, National Organic Program, (202) 205-7806.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Section 2119 (7 U.S.C. 6518) of the Organic 
Foods Production Act of 1990 (OFPA), as amended (7 U.S.C. 6501 et seq.) 
requires the establishment of the NOSB. The purpose of the NOSB is to 
make recommendations about whether a substance should be allowed or 
prohibited in organic production or handling, to assist in the 
development of standards for substances to be used in organic 
production, and to advise the Secretary on other aspects of the 
implementation of the OFPA. The NOSB met for the first time in 
Washington, DC, in March 1992, and currently has six committees working 
on various aspects of the organic program. The committees are: 
Compliance, Accreditation, and Certification; Crops; Livestock; 
Materials; Handling; and Policy Development.
    In August of 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 99 addenda to its 
recommendations and reviewed more than 269 substances for inclusion on 
the National List of Allowed and Prohibited Substances. The last 
meeting of the NOSB was held on November 16-17, 2005, in Washington, 
DC.
    The Department of Agriculture (USDA) published its final National 
Organic Program regulation in the Federal Register on December 21, 
2000, (65 FR 80548). The rule became effective April 21, 2001.

[[Page 14494]]

    The principal purposes of the meeting are to provide an opportunity 
for the NOSB to receive an update from the USDA/NOP and hear progress 
reports from NOSB committees regarding work plan items and proposed 
action items. The NOSB will receive presentations from the Aquaculture 
Working Group and Pet Food Task Force. The NOSB subcommittees (Crops, 
Livestock, and Handling Committees) will also present for, full NOSB 
consideration, recommendations concerning the continued use or 
prohibition of 29 substances being reviewed under the OFPA's sunset 
provisions for the National List. The NOSB will vote on these 
recommendations.
    The OFPA authorized a National List of Allowed and Prohibited 
Substances. The Act also provides that no allowed or prohibited 
substance would remain on the National List for a period exceeding 5 
years unless the exemption or prohibition is reviewed and recommended 
for renewal by the NOSB and adopted by the Secretary of Agriculture. 
This expiration is commonly referred to as sunset of the National List. 
The National List was implemented on October 21, 2002, and contained 
over 170 substances. This first sunset of the National List triggers a 
review process that must be concluded no later than October 21, 2007. 
If renewal is not concluded by that date, the use or prohibition of 
hundreds of materials will no longer be valid for the organic industry, 
causing most if not all of the organic industry to be in noncompliance 
with the National Organic Standards. Because this first sunset process 
involves Federal rulemaking, the NOSB and the NOP has issued guidance 
and begun work on the National List Sunset process in order to avoid 
expiration of the National List on October 21, 2007. At its November 
16-17, 2005, meeting in Washington, DC, the NOSB recommended that the 
Secretary continue the use of 143 substances in organic crop and 
livestock production and handling. The NOSB recommended not renewing 
the listing of one substance, potassium tartrate made from tartaric 
acid. The substance appears twice on the Nation List, with two 
different names. The NOSB recommended removing it because of 
redundancy.
    The Handling Committee will discuss its continued work on 
determining when a product is agricultural versus nonagricultural. The 
Materials and Handling Committees will discuss NOP feedback regarding 
guidance for making determinations on whether a substance is synthetic 
or non-synthetic. Finally, the Policy Development and Handling 
Committees will present, for full NOSB consideration, a recommendation 
for facilitating determinations regarding the commercial availability 
of organic agricultural ingredients.
    For further information, see http://www.ams.usda.gov/nop. Copies of 
the NOSB meeting agenda can be requested from Ms. Katherine Benham by 
telephone at (202) 205-7806; or by accessing the NOP Web site at http://www.ams.usda.gov/nop.
    The Meeting is Open to the Public. The NOSB has scheduled time for 
public input for Wednesday, April 19, 2006, from 2 p.m. to 4:15 p.m., 
and Thursday, April 20, 2006, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Individuals and 
organizations wishing to make an oral presentation at the meeting may 
forward their request by mail, facsimile, or e-mail to Katherine Benham 
at addresses listed in ADDRESSES above. 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. Written submissions may contain information other 
than that presented at the oral presentation.
    Written comments may also be submitted at the meeting. Persons 
submitting written comments at the meeting are asked to provide 30 
copies.
    Interested persons may visit the NOSB portion of the NOP Web site 
http://www.ams.usda.gov/nop to view available documents prior to the 
meeting. Approximately 6 weeks following the meeting interested persons 
will be able to visit the NOSB portion of the NOP Web site to view 
documents from the meeting.

    Dated: March 17, 2006.
Lloyd C. Day,
Administrator, Agricultural Marketing Service.
[FR Doc. 06-2788 Filed 3-21-06; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-02-P