[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 37 (Monday, February 25, 2019)]
[Notices]
[Pages 5979-5981]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-03176]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

U.S. Codex Office


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

AGENCY: U.S. Codex Office, USDA.

ACTION: Notice of public meeting and request for comments.

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SUMMARY: The U.S Codex Office is sponsoring a public meeting on March 
7, 2019. 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 51st Session of the Codex 
Committee on Pesticide Residues (CCPR) of the Codex Alimentarius 
Commission, in Macau Special Administrative Region (SAR) of the 
People's Republic of China, April 8-13, 2019. The U.S. Manager for 
Codex Alimentarius and the Under Secretary for Trade and Foreign 
Agricultural Affairs recognize the importance of providing interested 
parties the opportunity to obtain background information on the 51st 
Session of the CCPR and to address items on the agenda.

DATES: The public meeting is scheduled for Thursday, March 7, 2019 from 
1 p.m. to 3 p.m. EST.

ADDRESSES: The public meeting will take place at the United States 
Environmental Protection Agency, Room PYS-4350, One Potomac Yard South, 
2777 South Crystal Drive, Arlington, VA 22202. Documents related to the 
51st Session of the CCPR will be accessible via the internet at the 
following address: http://www.fao.org/fao-who-codexalimentarius/meetings/en/.
    Captain David Miller, U.S. Delegate to the 51st Session of the CCPR 
invites

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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 51st Session of the CCPR by conference call, please use the 
call-in-number: 1-888-844-9904 and participant code 5126092.
    Registration: Attendees may register to attend the public meeting 
by emailing [email protected] by March 4, 2019. Early 
registration is encouraged because it will expedite entry into the 
building. The meeting will take place 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, as discussed above.
    For Further Information about the 51st Session of the CCPR Contact: 
U.S. Delegate, Captain David Miller, Chief, Chemistry and Exposure 
Branch and Acting Chief, Toxicology and Epidemiology Branch, Health 
Effects Division, Ariel Rios Building, 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, 
Washington, DC 20460. Telephone: (703) 305-5352, Fax: (703) 305-5147, 
Email: [email protected].
    For Further Information about the Public Meeting Contact: Marie 
Maratos, U.S. Codex Office, 1400 Independence Avenue SW, Room 4861, 
South Agriculture Building, Washington, DC 20250. Phone: (202) 690-
4795, 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 Terms of Reference of the Codex Committee on Pesticide Residues 
(CCPR) are:
    (a) To establish maximum limits for pesticide residues in specific 
food items or in groups of food;
    (b) to establish 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) to prepare priority lists of pesticides for evaluation by the 
Joint FAO/WHO Meeting on Pesticide Residues (JMPR);
    (d) to consider methods of sampling and analysis for the 
determination of pesticide residues in food and feed;
    (e) to consider other matters in relation to the safety of food and 
feed containing pesticide residues; and,
    (f) to establish 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. The United States attends CCPR as a 
member country of Codex.

Issues To Be Discussed at the Public Meeting

    The following items on the Agenda for the 51st Session of the CCPR 
will be discussed during the public meeting:

 Adoption of the Agenda
 Appointment of Rapporteurs
 Matters referred to CCPR by CAC and/or other subsidiary bodies
 Matters of interest arising from FAO and WHO
 Matters of interest arising from other international 
organizations
 Report on items of general consideration by the 2018 JMPR--
Section 2 of the 2018 JMPR Report
 Report on 2018 JMPR responses to specific concerns raised by 
CCPR--Section 3 of the 2018 JMPR Report
 Proposed MRLs for pesticides in food and feed (at Steps 7 and 
4)
 Revision of the Classification of Food and Feed (CXM 4/1989)
 Class C--Primary feed commodities; Type 11: Primary feed 
commodities of plant origin
Proposed:
[ssquf] Group 050: Legume feed products
[ssquf] Group 051: Cereal grains and grasses
[ssquf] (including pseudocereals) feed products
[ssquf] Group 052: Miscellaneous feed products
 Class D--Processed foods of plant origin; All types in Class D
[ssquf] Proposed groups in different types
 Transfer of commodities from Class D to Class C
 Proposed table on examples of representative commodities for 
commodity groups in different types under Class C and Class D (for 
inclusion in the Principles and Guidance for the Selection of 
Representative Commodities for the Extrapolation of MRLs for Pesticides 
to Commodity Group (CXG 84-2012)
 Impact of the revised types in Class C and Class D on CXLs
 Any Class--Type on miscellaneous commodities not meeting the 
criteria for crop grouping
[ssquf] Proposed groups (including any possible impact of the new types 
on CXLs)
 Class B--Primary food commodities of animal origin
[ssquf] Common definition of edible animal tissues for the 
establishment of MRLs of pesticides and veterinary drugs for compounds 
with dual uses as pesticides and veterinary drugs for use by CCPR and 
CCRVDF
 Discussion paper on the opportunity to revise the Guidelines 
on the use of mass spectrometry for the identification, confirmation 
and quantitative determination of pesticide residues (CXG 56-2005)
 Discussion paper on the review of the International Estimate 
of Short Term Intake (IESTI) equations
 Discussion paper on opportunities and challenges for JMPR 
participation in an international review of a new compound
 Discussion paper on the development of guidance for compounds 
of low public health concerns that could be exempted from the 
establishment of CXLs
 Discussion paper on the management of unsupported compounds
 Information on national registrations of pesticides
 Establishment of Codex Schedules and Priority Lists of 
Pesticides
 Other Business and Future Work

Public Meeting

    At the March 7, 2019, 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 David Miller, U.S. Delegate 
for the 51st Session of the CCPR (see ADDRESSES). Written comments 
should state that they relate to activities of the 51st Session of the 
CCPR.

Additional Public Notification

    Public awareness of all segments of rulemaking and policy 
development is important. Consequently, the U.S. Codex Office will 
announce this Federal Register publication on-line through the USDA web 
page located at: http://www.usda.gov/codex/, a link that also offers an 
email subscription service providing access to information related to 
Codex. Customers can add or delete their subscription themselves and 
have the option to password protect their accounts.

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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 February 5, 2019.
Mary Lowe,
U.S. Manager for Codex Alimentarius.
[FR Doc. 2019-03176 Filed 2-22-19; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE P