[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 46 (Monday, March 9, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 13622-13624]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-04749]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

U.S. Codex Office


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

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 April 
30, 2020. 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 25th Session of the Codex 
Committee on Residues of Veterinary Drugs in Foods (CCRVDF) of the 
Codex Alimentarius Commission (CAC), in San Diego, California, May 25-
29, 2020. The U.S. Manager for Codex Alimentarius and the Under 
Secretary, Office of Trade and Foreign Agricultural Affairs, recognize 
the importance of providing interested parties the opportunity to 
obtain background information on the 25th Session of the CCRVDF and to 
address items on the agenda.

DATES: The public meeting is scheduled for April 30, 2020, from 1:00 
p.m. to 3:00 p.m. EST.

ADDRESSES: The public meeting will take place in the United States 
Department of Agriculture (USDA), Whitten Building, Room 107-A, 1400 
Independence Avenue SW, Washington, DC 20250. Documents related to the 
25th Session of the CCRVDF will be accessible via the internet at the 
following address: http://www.codexalimentarius.org/meetings-reports/en. Ms. Brandi Robinson, U.S. Delegate to the 25th 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 25th Session of the CCRVDF by conference call, please register 
in advance by emailing [email protected]. Please use the call-in-
number: 1-888-844-9904 and participant code: 512 6092.
    Registration: Attendees may register to attend the public meeting 
by emailing [email protected] by April 24, 2020. Early registration 
is encouraged because

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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 25th session of CCRVDF, contact 
Brandi Robinson, International Program Manager, Center for Veterinary 
Medicine (CVM), Office of New Animal Drug Evaluation, Food and Drug 
Administration, 7500 Standish Place HFV-100, Rockville, MD 20855. 
Phone: (240) 402-0645, Email: [email protected].

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ken Lowery, U.S. Codex Office, 1400 
Independence Avenue SW, Room 4861, South Building, Washington, DC 
20250. Phone: (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 (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 Codex Committee on Residues of Veterinary Drugs in Foods 
(CCRVDF) determines priorities for the consideration of residues of 
veterinary drugs in foods and recommends Maximum Residue Limits (MRLs) 
for veterinary drugs. The Committee also develops codes of practice, as 
may be required, and considers methods of sampling and analysis for the 
determination of veterinary drug residues in food. A veterinary drug is 
defined as any substance applied or administered to any food producing 
animal, such as meat or milk producing animals, poultry, fish, or bees, 
whether used for therapeutic, prophylactic or diagnostic purposes, or 
for modification of physiological functions or behavior.
    A Codex Maximum Residue Limit (MRL) for residues of veterinary 
drugs is the maximum concentration of residue resulting from the use of 
a veterinary drug (expressed in mg/kg or ug/kg on a fresh weight basis) 
that is recommended by the Codex Alimentarius Commission to be 
permitted or recognized as acceptable in or on a food. Residues of a 
veterinary drug include the parent compounds or their metabolites in 
any edible portion of the animal product and include residues of 
associated impurities of the veterinary drug concerned. An MRL is based 
on the type and amount of residue considered to be without any 
toxicological hazard for human health as expressed by the Acceptable 
Daily Intake (ADI) or on the basis of a temporary ADI that utilizes an 
additional safety factor. When establishing an MRL, consideration is 
also given to residues that occur in food of plant origin or the 
environment. Furthermore, the MRL may be reduced to be consistent with 
official recommended or authorized usage, approved by national 
authorities, of the veterinary drugs under practical conditions.
    An ADI is an estimate made by the Joint Expert Committee on Food 
Additives (JECFA) of the amount of a veterinary drug, expressed on a 
body weight basis, which can be ingested daily in food over a lifetime 
without appreciable health risk.
    The CCRVDF is hosted by the United States of America, and the 
meeting is attended by the United States as a member country of the 
Codex Alimentarius.

Issues To Be Discussed at the Public Meeting

    The following items on the Agenda for the 25th Session of the 
CCRVDF will be discussed during the public meeting:

 Adoption of the Agenda
 Matters referred by CAC and other subsidiary bodies
 Matters of interest arising from FAO/WHO including JECFA88
 Report of the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Meeting on Carry-over in 
feed and transfer from feed to food of unavoidable and unintended 
residues of approved veterinary drugs
 Matters of interest arising from the Joint FAO/International 
Atomic Energy Agency Division of Nuclear Techniques in Food relevant to 
CCRVDF work
 Report of World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) 
activities, including the harmonization of technical requirements for 
registration of veterinary medicinal products
 Draft MRL for flumethrin (honey) at Step 7
 Proposed draft MRLs for diflubenzuron (salmon--muscle plus 
skin in natural proportion); halquinol (in swine--muscle, skin plus 
fat, liver and kidney); ivermectin (sheep, pigs and goats--fat, kidney, 
liver and muscle) at Step 4
 Proposed draft MRLs for zilpaterol hydrochloride (cattle fat, 
kidney, liver, muscle) (JECFA81 and JECFA85) retained Step 4
 Discussion paper on extrapolation of MRLs to one or more 
species (including a pilot on extrapolation on MRLs identified in Part 
D of the Priority List)
 Discussion paper on the development of a harmonized definition 
for edible tissues of animal origin (including edible offal) 
(coordination between the Codex Committee on Pesticide Residues and 
CCRVDF)
 Discussion paper on advantages and disadvantages of a parallel 
approach to compound evaluation
 Database on countries' needs for MRLs
 Priority list of veterinary drugs requiring evaluation or re-
evaluation by JECFA
 Other business and future work

Each issue listed will be fully described in documents distributed, or 
to be distributed by the Secretariat before the Committee meeting. 
Members of the public may access or request copies of these documents 
(see ADDRESSES).

Public Meeting

    At the April 30, 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 Brandi Robinson, U.S. Delegate 
for the 25th Session of the CCRVDF (see ADDRESSES). Written comments 
should state that they relate to activities of the 25th Session of the 
CCRVDF.

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 
Codex 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 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,

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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 March 4, 2020.
Mary Lowe,
U.S. Manager for Codex Alimentarius.
[FR Doc. 2020-04749 Filed 3-6-20; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE P