[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 119 (Thursday, June 20, 2013)]
[Notices]
[Pages 37202-37203]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-14659]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Food Safety and Inspection Service

[Docket No. FSIS-2013-0014]


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 August 5, 2013. The objective 
of the public meeting is to provide information and receive public 
comments on agenda items and draft United States positions that will be 
discussed at the 21st Session of the Codex Committee on Residues of 
Veterinary Drugs in Foods (CCRVDF) of the Codex Alimentarius Commission 
(Codex), which will be held in Minneapolis, Minnesota from August 26-
30, 2013. The Under Secretary for Food Safety and the Food and Drug 
Administration recognize the importance of providing interested parties 
the opportunity to obtain background information on the 21st Session of 
CCRVDF, and to address items on the agenda.

DATES: The public meeting is scheduled for Monday, August 5, 2013 from 
1:00-4:00 p.m.

ADDRESSES: The public meeting will be held at the Jamie L. Whitten 
Building, United States Department of Agriculture, 1400 Independence 
Ave. Room 107-A, Washington, DC 20250. Documents related to the 21st 
Session of CCRVDF will be accessible via the World Wide Web at the 
following address: http://www.codexalimentarius.org/meetings-reports/en/.
    Kevin Greenlees, U.S. Delegate to the 21st 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 21st Session of the CCRVDF by conference call, please use the 
call-in number and participant code listed below:
    Call-in Number: 1-888-858-2144.
    Participant code: 6208658.

For Further Information About the 21st Session of the CCRVDF Contact: 
Kevin Greenlees, Senior Advisor for Science and Policy, Office of New 
Animal Drug Evaluation, HFV-100, Food and Drug Administration, 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, U.S. Codex Office, 1400 Independence Ave. SW., Room 4861, 
Washington, DC 20250, Telephone: (202) 690-4042, Fax: (202) 720-3157, 
Email: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

    The Codex Alimentarius (Codex) was established in 1963 by two 
United Nations organizations, the Food and Agriculture Organization and 
the World Health Organization. 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 foods, 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 Committee is hosted by the United States of America.

Issues To Be Discussed at the Public Meeting

    The following items on the Agenda for the 21st Session of the 
CCRVDF will be discussed during the public meeting:
     Matters referred by the Codex Alimentarius Commission and 
other Codex Committees and Task Forces
     Matters arising from FAO/WHO and from the Joint FAO/WHO 
Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA)
     Report on World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) 
activities, including the harmonization of technical requirements for 
registration of veterinary medicinal products (VICH)
     Draft Maximum Residue Limits (MRLs) for veterinary drugs 
(at Step 6)
     Proposed draft MRLs for veterinary drugs (at Step 4)
     Risk Management Recommendations for Residues of Veterinary 
Drugs for which no ADI and/or MRLs has been recommended by JECFA due to 
Specific Human Health Concerns
     Proposed draft guidelines on performance characteristics 
for multi-residue methods
     Risk Analysis Policy on Extrapolation of MRLs of 
Veterinary Drugs to Additional Species and Tissues
     Proposed ``concern form'' for the CCRVDF (format and 
policy procedure for its use)
     Draft priority list of veterinary drugs requiring 
evaluation or re-evaluation by JECFA
     Database on countries' needs for MRLs
     Discussion paper on Guidelines on the Establishment of 
MRLs or other Limits in Honey
     Other business and future work
    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 or request copies of these documents (see 
ADDRESSES).

Public Meeting

    At the August 5, 2013 public meeting, draft U.S. positions on the 
agenda items will be described and discussed, and attendees will have 
the opportunity to

[[Page 37203]]

pose questions and offer comments. Written comments may be offered at 
the meeting or sent to the U.S. Delegate for the 21st session of the 
CCRVDF, Kevin Greenlees (see ADDRESSES). Written comments should state 
that they relate to activities of the 21st 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

    The U.S. Department of Agriculture (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, audiotape, 
etc.) 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: June 14, 2013.
Mary Frances Lowe,
U.S. Manager for Codex Alimentarius.
[FR Doc. 2013-14659 Filed 6-19-13; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-DM-P