[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 58 (Wednesday, March 26, 2014)]
[Notices]
[Pages 16754-16756]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-06651]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Food Safety and Inspection Service

[Docket No. FSIS-2014-0007]


Codex Alimentarius Commission: Meeting of the Codex Committee on 
Pesticide Residues

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), Food Safety and Inspection Service 
(FSIS), and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) are 
sponsoring a public meeting to take place on April 10, 2014. 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 46th Session of the Codex Committee on 
Pesticide Residues (CCPR) of the Codex Alimentarius Commission (Codex), 
which will take place in China from

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May 5-10, 2014. The Under Secretary for Food Safety and the EPA 
recognize the importance of providing interested parties the 
opportunity to obtain background information on the 46th session of 
CCPR and to address items on the agenda.

DATES: The public meeting is scheduled for Thursday, April 10, 2014 
from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.

ADDRESSES: The public meeting will take place at the Environmental 
Protection Agency, One Potomac Yard South, Room S-7100, 2777 South 
Crystal Drive, Arlington, VA 22202.
    Documents related to the 46th Session of CCPR will be accessible 
via the World Wide Web at the following address: http://www.codexalimentarius.org/meetings-reports/en/.
    Lois Rossi, U.S. Delegate to the 46th Session of the CCPR, and the 
EPA and USDA, invite 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 46th 
session of the CCPR by conference call, please use the call-in number 
and participant code listed below.
    U.S. Call-in Number: 1-866-299-3188.
    International Call-in Number: 1-706-758-1822.
    Participant Code: 7033056463.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For further information about the 46th 
Session of the CCPR contact: Lois Rossi, Director of the Registration 
Division, Office of Pesticide Programs, U.S. Environmental Protection 
Agency, Ariel Rios Building, 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue NW., Washington, 
DC 20460; Telephone: (703) 305-5447, Fax: (703) 305-6920, Email: 
[email protected].
    For further information about the public meeting contact: Marie 
Maratos, U.S. Codex Office, South Building, Room 4861, 1400 
Independence Avenue SW., Washington, DC 20250; Telephone: (202) 205-
7760, 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 that fair practices are 
used in trade.
    The Codex Committee on Pesticide Residues is responsible for:
    (a) Establishing maximum limits for pesticide residues in specific 
food items or in groups of food;
    (b) Establishing maximum limits for pesticide residues in certain 
animal feeding stuffs moving in international trade where this is 
justified for reasons of protection of human health;
    (c) Preparing priority lists of pesticides for evaluation by the 
Joint FAO/WHO Meeting on Pesticide Residues (JMPR);
    (d) Considering methods of sampling and analysis for the 
determination of pesticide residues in food and feed;
    (e) Considering other matters in relation to the safety of food and 
feed containing pesticide residues; and
    (f) Establishing maximum limits for environmental and industrial 
contaminants showing chemical or other similarity to pesticides, in 
specific food items or groups of food.
    The CCPR is hosted by China.

Issues To Be Discussed at the Public Meeting

    The following items on the Agenda for the 46th Session of CCPR will 
be discussed during the public meeting:
     Matters Referred to the Committee by the Codex 
Alimentarius Commission and Other Subsidiary Bodies
     Matters of interest arising from FAO and WHO
     Matters of interest arising from other international 
organizations
     Draft revision to the Codex Classification of Food and 
Feed at Step 6-selected vegetables commodity groups (roots and tubers)
     Draft discussion paper on Guidance to Facilitate the 
Establishment of Maximum Residue Limits for Pesticides for Minor Uses 
and Specialty Crops
     The continued revision of the Risk Analysis Principles 
applied by the Codex Committee on Pesticide Residues
     Codex Priority List for the Establishment of MRLs for 
Pesticides
     Guidance on Performance Criteria for Suitability 
Assessment of Methods of Analysis for Pesticide Residues
     Other business and future work
    Each issue listed will be fully described in documents distributed, 
or to be distributed, by the Codex Secretariat prior to the Committee 
meeting. Members of the public may access or request copies of these 
documents (see ADDRESSES).

Public Meeting

    At the April 10, 2014, public meeting, draft U.S. positions on the 
agenda items will be described, 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 46th 
session of the CCPR, Lois Rossi (see ADDRESSES). Written comments 
should state that they relate to activities of the 46th Session of the 
CCPR.

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.

Additional Public Notification

    FSIS will announce this notice online through the FSIS Web page 
located at http://www.fsis.usda.gov/wps/portal/fsis/topics/regulations/federal-register.
    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/wps/portal/fsis/programs-and-services/email-subscription-service. Options range from recalls to export information 
to regulations, directives and notices. Customers can add or delete 
subscriptions themselves, and have the

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option to password protect their accounts.

    Done at Washington, DC on: March 18, 2014.
Mary Frances Lowe,
U.S. Manager for Codex Alimentarius.
[FR Doc. 2014-06651 Filed 3-21-14; 4:15 pm]
BILLING CODE 3410-DM-P