[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 22 (Monday, February 3, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 5929-5931]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-01937]


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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 
February 27, 2020. The objective of the public meeting is to provide 
information and receive public comments on agenda items and draft 
United States (U.S.)

[[Page 5930]]

positions to be discussed at the 52nd Session of the Codex Committee on 
Pesticide Residues (CCPR) of the Codex Alimentarius Commission, in 
Guangzhou, People's Republic of China, March 30-April 4, 2020. 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 52nd Session of the CCPR and to address items on the agenda.

DATES: The public meeting is scheduled for Thursday, February 27, 2020 
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-4370/80, One Potomac Yard 
South, 2777 South Crystal Drive, Arlington, VA 22202. Documents related 
to the 52nd Session of the CCPR will be accessible via the internet at 
the following address: http://www.fao.org/fao-who-codexalimentarius/committees/committee/related-meetings/en/?committee=CCPR. CAPT David 
Miller, U.S. Delegate to the 52nd Session of the CCPR, 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 52nd 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 in-person the public 
meeting by emailing [email protected] by February 26, 2020. 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 52nd Session of the CCPR Contact: 
U.S. Delegate, CAPT 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 52nd 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 2019 JMPR 
extraordinary and regular meetings--Section 2 of the 2019 JMPR Reports
 Report on responses to specific concerns raised by CCPR 
arising from the 2019 JMPR extraordinary and regular meetings--Section 
3 of the 2019 JMPR Reports
 Proposed MRLs for pesticides in food and feed
 Revision of the Classification of Food and Feed (CXM 4/1989) 
for selected commodity groups:

    (i) Class C-- Primary feed commodities (Type 11: Primary Feed 
commodities of plant origin, taking into account silage, fodder, and a 
separate group for grasses) and the fodder discussion paper.
    (ii) Class D-- Processed Food commodities of plant origin (all 
Types in Class D).
    (iii) Tables 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).
    (iv) Impact of the revised types in Class C and D on CXLs.
    (v) Class B--Primary food commodities of animal origin--
Harmonization of meat mammalian maximum residue limits between CCPR and 
the Codex Committee on Residues of Veterinary Drugs in Foods (CCRVDF).

 Impact of revised types in Class A (in the Classification of 
Food and Feed (CXM 4/1989)) on CXLs
 Proposed draft Guidelines for compounds of low public health 
concern that could be exempted from the establishment of Codex Maximum 
Residue Limits (MRLs or also referred to as CXLs)
 Discussion paper on the opportunity to revise the Guidelines 
on the use of mass spectrometry for the identification, confirmation 
and quantitative determination of residues (CXG 56-2005)
 Discussion paper on the monitoring of purity and stability of 
certified reference material (CRM) of multi-class pesticides during 
prolonged storage
 Discussion paper on the review of the International Estimated 
Short-term Intake (IESTI) equations
 Discussion paper on opportunities and challenges for the JMPR 
participation in an international parallel review of a new compound
 Discussion paper on the management of unsupported compounds 
(without public health concerns) scheduled for periodic review
 Information on national registrations databases of pesticides

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 Establishment of Codex Schedules and Priority Lists of 
Pesticides for evaluation by the 2020 JMPR
 Other Business and Future Work

Public Meeting

    At the February 27, 2020, 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 CAPT David Miller, 
U.S. Delegate for the 52nd Session of the CCPR (see ADDRESSES). Written 
comments should state that they relate to activities of the 52nd 
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.

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 January 14, 2020.
Mary Lowe,
U.S. Manager for Codex Alimentarius.
[FR Doc. 2020-01937 Filed 1-31-20; 8:45 am]
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