[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 56 (Thursday, March 22, 2012)]
[Notices]
[Pages 16806-16807]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-6893]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Food Safety and Inspection Service

[Docket No. FSIS-2012-0011]


Codex Alimentarius Commission: Meeting of the Codex Committee on 
Residues of Veterinary Drugs in Food

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), are sponsoring a public meeting on April 23, 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 20th Session of the Codex Committee on 
Residues of Veterinary Drugs in Foods (CCRVDF) of the Codex 
Alimentarius Commission (Codex), which will be held in San Juan, Puerto 
Rico from May 7-11, 2012. The Under Secretary for Food Safety and FDA 
recognize the importance of providing interested parties the 
opportunity to obtain background information on the 20th Session of the 
CCRVDF, and to address items on the agenda.

DATES: The public meeting is scheduled for Monday, April 23, 2012, from 
1-4 p.m.

ADDRESSES: The public meeting will be held at the Jamie L. Whitten 
Building, USDA, 1400 Independence Avenue SW., Room 107-A, Washington, 
DC 20250.
    Documents related to the 20th Session of the CCRVDF will be 
accessible via the World Wide Web at the following address: http://www.codexalimentarius.org/.
    Kevin Greenlees, U.S. Delegate to the 20th Session of the CCRVDF, 
invites U.S. interested parties to submit their comments electronically 
to the following email address: [email protected].
    Call-In Number:
    If you wish to participate in the public meeting for the 20th 
Session of the CCRVDF, by conference call, please use the call-in 
number and participant code listed below to connect to the public 
meeting on Monday, April 23, 2012, from 1-4 p.m.:
    Call-in Number: 1-888-858-2144.
    Participant code: 6208658.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION ABOUT THE 20th SESSION OF THE CCRVDF CONTACT: 
Kevin Greenlees, Senior Advisor for Science & Policy, Office of New 
Animal Drug Evaluation, HFV-100, FDA, Center for Veterinary Medicine, 
7520 Standish Place, Rockville, MD 20855, Telephone: (240) 276-8214, 
Fax: (240) 276-9538, Email: [email protected].

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION ABOUT THE PUBLIC MEETING CONTACT: Kenneth 
Lowery, US CODEX Office, 1400 Independence Avenue SW., Room 4861, 
Washington, DC 20250, Telephone: (202) 690-4042, Fax: (202) 720-3157, 
Email: [email protected].

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 fair practices in the 
food trade.
    The CCRVDF is responsible for determining priorities for the 
consideration of residues of veterinary drugs in food, recommending 
maximum levels of such substances, developing codes of practice as may 
be required, and considering methods of sampling and analysis for the 
determination of veterinary drug residues in foods.
    The CCRVDF is hosted by the United States of America.

Issues To Be Discussed at the Public Meeting

    The following items on the agenda for the 20th Session of the 
CCRVDF will be discussed during the public meeting:
     Matters Referred by Codex and other Codex Committees and 
Task Forces.
     Matters Arising from FAO/WHO and from the 75th Meeting of 
the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA).
     Report of the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) 
Activities, Including the Harmonization of Technical Requirements for 
Registration

[[Page 16807]]

of Veterinary Medicinal Products (VICH).
     Proposed Amendments to the Terms of Reference of the 
CCRVDF.
     Draft Maximum Residue Limits (MRLs) for Veterinary Drugs 
(at Step 7).
     Proposed Draft MRLs for Veterinary Drugs (at Step 3).
     Proposed Amendments to the Risk Analysis Principles 
Applied by the CCRVDF.
     Proposed Revision of Risk Analysis Principles Applied by 
the CCRVDF and the Risk Assessment Policy for the Setting of Maximum 
Limits for Residues of Veterinary Drugs in Foods.
     Proposed Draft Sampling Plans for Residue Control for 
Aquatic Animal Products and Derived Edible Products of Aquatic Origin.
     Proposed Draft Guidelines on Performance Characteristics 
for Multi-Residue Methods.
     Draft Priority List of Veterinary Drugs Requiring 
Evaluation or Re-Evaluation by JECFA.
     Database on Need for MRLs for Developing Countries.
     Risk Management Recommendations for the Veterinary Drugs 
for Which No Acceptable Daily Intake (ADI) or MRL has been Recommended 
by JECFA Due to Specific Human Health Concerns.
     Discussion Paper on the Policy for the Establishment of 
MRLS or Other Limits in Honey.
     Discussion Paper on the Extrapolation of MRLs to 
Additional Species and Tissues.
     Other Business and Future Work.
     CCRVDF Current Problems and Solutions.
    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 these documents (see ADDRESSES).

Public Meeting

    At the April 23, 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 the U.S. Delegate for the 20th 
Session of the CCRVDF, Kevin Greenlees (see ADDRESSES). Written 
comments should state that they relate to activities of the 20th 
Session of the CCRVDF.

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, or 
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 March 19, 2012.
Karen Stuck,
U.S. Manager for Codex Alimentarius.
[FR Doc. 2012-6893 Filed 3-21-12; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-DM-P