[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 72 (Friday, April 16, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Pages 20114-20116]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-07399]


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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 June 
17, 2021. 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 52nd Session of the Codex 
Committee on Pesticide Residues (CCPR) of the Codex Alimentarius 
Commission, which will convene virtually on July 26-31, 2021. The U.S. 
Manager for Codex Alimentarius and the Acting Deputy 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.

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DATES: The public meeting is scheduled for June 17, 2021, from 1:00-
3:00 EDT.

ADDRESSES: The public meeting will take place via Video Teleconference 
only. 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/meetings/detail/en/?meeting=CCPR&session=52. 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]. Registration: Attendees may register to attend 
the virtual public meeting here: https://www.zoomgov.com/meeting/register/vJIsdO2spz8sH8hmjG-maF8BYauGrD4GaQY or by emailing CAPT David 
Miller([email protected]) by June 14, 2021.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 
    For Further Information about the 52nd Session of the CCPR, contact 
U.S. Delegate, CAPT David Miller Chief, Chemistry and Exposure Branch, 
Health Effects Division, Office of Pesticide Programs at Email: 
[email protected] or Phone: +1 (703)328-8755.
    For Further Information about the public meeting Contact: U.S. 
Codex Office, 1400 Independence Avenue SW, Room 4861, South Agriculture 
Building, Washington, DC 20250. Phone (202) 720 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 and the World Health 
Organization. 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 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 the 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 arising from the 2019 
JMPR extraordinary and regular meetings
 Report on responses to specific concerns raised by CCPR 
arising from the 2019 JMPR regular meeting
 Proposed MRLs for pesticides in food and feed
 Revision of the Classification of Food and Feed
    [cir] Class C--Primary feed commodities including issues related to 
fodder commodities
    Type 11: Primary feed commodities of plant origin Proposed:
    [ssquf] Group 050: Legume feed products
    [ssquf] Group 051: Cereal grains and grasses (including 
pseudocereals) feed products
    [ssquf] Group 052: Miscellaneous feed products
    [cir] Class D--Processed foods of plant origin, all types in Class 
D, proposed groups in different types
    [cir] Proposed 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 Groups (CXG 84-2012))
    [cir] Impact of the revised types in Class C and Class D on CXLs
    [cir] Class B--Primary food commodities of animal origin 
Harmonization of meat mammalian maximum residue limits between CCPR and 
CCRVDF
    [cir] Impact of the revised types in Class A on CXLs in the 
Database
 Proposed draft Guidelines for compounds of low public health 
concern that could be exempted from the establishment of CXLs
 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 monitoring the purity and stability of 
certified reference material of multi-class pesticides during prolonged 
storage
 Discussion paper on the review of the International Estimate 
of Short-Term Intake (IESTI) equations
 Discussion paper on opportunities and challenges for the JMPR 
participation in an international review of a new compound
 Discussion paper on the management of unsupported compounds
 National registrations of pesticides
 Establishment of Codex Schedules and Priority Lists of 
Pesticides
 Other Business and Future Work

Public Meeting

    At the June 17, 2021, 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

[[Page 20116]]

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 https://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 April 5, 2021.
Mary Lowe,
U.S. Manager for Codex Alimentarius.
[FR Doc. 2021-07399 Filed 4-15-21; 8:45 am]
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