[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 141 (Friday, July 22, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Pages 47747-47748]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2016-17377]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Food Safety and Inspection Service

[Docket No. FSIS-2016-0024]


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

AGENCY: Office of the Deputy Under Secretary for Food Safety, USDA.

ACTION: Notice of public meeting and request for comments.

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SUMMARY: The Office of the Deputy Under Secretary for Food Safety, U.S. 
Department of Agriculture (USDA), and the Food and Drug Administration 
(FDA), are sponsoring a public meeting on September 22, 2016. The 
objective of the public meeting is to provide information and receive 
public comments on agenda items and draft United States (U.S.) 
positions to be discussed at the 23rd Session of the Codex Committee on 
Residues of Veterinary Drugs in Foods (CCRVDF) of the Codex 
Alimentarius Commission (Codex), taking place in Houston, Texas, 
October 17-21, 2016. The Deputy Under Secretary for Food Safety and the 
FDA recognize the importance of providing interested parties the 
opportunity to obtain background information on the 23rd Session of the 
CCRVDF and to address items on the agenda.

DATES: The public meeting is scheduled for Thursday, September 22, 
2016, from 1:00 p.m.-4:00 p.m.

ADDRESSES: The public meeting will take place at the USDA, Jamie L. 
Whitten Building, 1400 Independence Avenue SW., Room 107-A, Washington, 
DC 20250.
    Documents related to the 23rd Session of the CCRVDF will be 
accessible via the Internet at the following address: http://www.codexalimentarius.org/meetings-reports/en/.
    Brandi Robinson, U.S. Delegate to the 23rd 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 23rd 
Session of the CCRVDF by conference call, please use the following 
call-in-number:
    Call-in-Number: 1-888-844-9904.
    The participant code will be posted on the following Web page: 
http://www.fsis.usda.gov/wps/portal/fsis/topics/international-affairs/us-codex-alimentarius/public-meetings.

Registration

    Attendees may register to attend the public meeting by emailing 
[email protected] by September 16, 2016. Early registration is 
encouraged as it will expedite entry into the building. The meeting 
will be held in a Federal building. Attendees should bring photo 
identification and plan for adequate time to pass through the security 
screening systems. Attendees who are not able to attend the meeting in 
person, but who wish to participate, may do so by phone.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION ABOUT THE 23rd SESSION OF THE CCRVDF CONTACT: 
Brandi Robinson, ONADE International Coordinator, Center for Veterinary 
Medicine, U.S. Food and Drug Administration, 7500 Standish Place, HFV-
100, Rockville, MD 20855. Telephone: (240) 402-0645, Email: 
[email protected].

For Further Information About the Public Meeting Contact

    Kenneth Lowery, U.S. Codex Office, 1400 Independence Avenue SW., 
South Agriculture Building, 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 and the World Health Organization 
(FAO/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 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.

Issues To Be Discussed at the Public Meeting

    The following items on the Agenda for the 23rd Session of the 
CCRVDF will be discussed during the public meeting:
     Matters referred to the Committee by Codex or its 
subsidiary bodies;
     Matters of interest arising from the FAO/WHO and from the 
81st Meeting of the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives 
(JECFA);
     Report of the World Organisation for Animal Health 
activities, including the International Cooperation on Harmonisation of 
Technical Requirements for Registration of Veterinary Medicinal 
Products;
     Proposed draft Risk Management Recommendations (RMR) for 
gentian violet at Step 3;
     Proposed draft Maximum Residue Limits (MRLs) for 
ivermectin (cattle muscle) and lasalocid sodium (chicken, turkey, 
quail, and pheasant kidney, liver, muscle, skin and fat) at Step 4;
     Proposed draft MRLs for ivermectin (cattle fat, kidney, 
muscle),

[[Page 47748]]

teflubenzuron (salmon fillet, muscle) and zilpaterol hydrochloride 
(cattle fat, kidney, liver, muscle) at Step 3;
     Discussion paper on the unintended presence of residues of 
veterinary drugs in food commodities resulting from the carry-over of 
drug residues into feed;
     Discussion paper on the establishment of a rating system 
to establish priority for the CCRVDF work;
     Global survey to provide information to the CCRVDF to move 
compounds from the database on countries' needs for MRLs to the JECFA 
Priority List (Report of Environmental Working Group) and Database on 
countries' needs for MRLs;
     Draft priority list of veterinary drugs requiring 
evaluation or re-evaluation by JECFA; and
     Other Business & Future Work.
    Each issue listed will be fully described in documents distributed, 
or to be distributed, by the Secretariat before the Meeting. Members of 
the public may access or request copies of these documents (see 
ADDRESSES).

Public Meeting

    At the September 22, 2016, 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 23rd Session of the CCRVDF, Brandi Robinson (see ADDRESSES). 
Written comments should state that they relate to the activities of the 
23rd Session of the CCRVDF.

Additional Public Notification

    Public awareness of all segments of rulemaking and policy 
development is important. Consequently, FSIS will announce this Federal 
Register publication on-line through the FSIS Web page located at: 
http://www.fsis.usda.gov/federal-register.
    FSIS also will make copies of this 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 our constituents and 
stakeholders. The Update is available on the FSIS Web page. Through the 
Web page, FSIS is able to provide information to a much broader, more 
diverse audience. In addition, FSIS offers an email 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/subscribe. Options range from recalls to export 
information, regulations, directives, and notices. Customers can add or 
delete subscriptions themselves, and have the option to password 
protect their accounts.

USDA Non-Discrimination Statement

    No agency, officer, or employee of the USDA shall, on the grounds 
of race, color, national origin, religion, sex, gender identity, sexual 
orientation, disability, age, marital status, family/parental status, 
income derived from a public assistance program, or political beliefs, 
exclude from participation in, deny the benefits of, or subject to 
discrimination any person in the United States under any program or 
activity conducted by the USDA.

How To File a Complaint of Discrimination

    To file a complaint of discrimination, complete the USDA Program 
Discrimination Complaint Form, which may be accessed online at http://www.ocio.usda.gov/sites/default/files/docs/2012/Complain_combined_6_8_12.pdf, or write a letter signed by you or your 
authorized representative.
    Send your completed complaint form or letter to USDA by mail, fax, 
or email:
    Mail: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Director, Office of 
Adjudication, 1400 Independence Avenue SW., Washington, DC 20250-9410.
    Fax: (202) 690-7442.
    Email: [email protected].
    Persons with disabilities who require alternative means for 
communication (Braille, large print, audiotape, etc.), should contact 
USDA's TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and TDD).

    Done at Washington, DC, on July 19, 2016.
Paulo Almeida,
U.S. Manager for Codex Alimentarius.
[FR Doc. 2016-17377 Filed 7-21-16; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 3410-DM-P