[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 41 (Wednesday, March 2, 2022)]
[Notices]
[Pages 11686-11687]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2022-04342]


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 Notices
                                                 Federal Register
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 This section of the FEDERAL REGISTER contains documents other than rules 
 or proposed rules that are applicable to the public. Notices of hearings 
 and investigations, committee meetings, agency decisions and rulings, 
 delegations of authority, filing of petitions and applications and agency 
 statements of organization and functions are examples of documents 
 appearing in this section.
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  Federal Register / Vol. 87, No. 41 / Wednesday, March 2, 2022 / 
Notices  

[[Page 11686]]



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 
2, 2022. 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 53rd Session of the Codex 
Committee on Pesticide Residues (CCPR) of the Codex Alimentarius 
Commission (CAC), which will convene virtually, July 4-July 13, 2022. 
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 53rd Session of the CCPR and to address 
items on the agenda.

DATES: The public meeting is scheduled for June 2, 2022, from 2:00-4:00 
p.m. EDT.

ADDRESSES: The public meeting will take place via Video Teleconference 
only. Documents related to the 53rd Session of the CCPR will be 
accessible via the internet at the following address: https://www.fao.org/fao-who-codexalimentarius/meetings/detail/en/?meeting=CCPR&session=53. Captain David Miller, U.S. Delegate to the 
53rd Session of the CCPR, invites U.S. interested parties to submit 
their comments electronically to the following email address: 
[email protected].
    Registration: Attendees must register to attend the public meeting 
here: https://www.zoomgov.com/meeting/register/vJItc-6tpzgjHHHmxmTPl2ykA0BfwK2icPQ. After registering, you will receive a 
confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.
    For Further Information about the 53rd Session of the CCPR, contact 
U.S. Delegate, Captain David Miller, [email protected], +1 (703) 
305-5352.
    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 (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 the CCPR as 
a member country of Codex.

Issues To Be Discussed at the Public Meeting

    The following items from the forthcoming Agenda for the 53rd 
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 Codex 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 2021 
JMPR regular meeting
 Report on responses to specific concerns raised by CCPR 
arising from the 2021 JMPR regular meeting
 Proposed Maximum Residue Limits (MRLs) for pesticides in food 
and feed
 Revision of the Classification of Food and Feed (CXM 4/1989) 
on the following:

    (i) The issue of okra and an appropriate representative commodity, 
taking into account monitoring data submitted.
    (ii) work on edible animal tissues (including edible offal) in 
collaboration with the Codex Committee on Residues of Veterinary Drugs 
in Foods (CCRVDF) Electronic Working Group (EWG) on edible offal.
    (iii) consideration of Class B, Primary Food Commodities of Animal 
Origin and Class E, Processed Foods of Animal Origin.

 Proposed Draft Guidelines for compounds of low public health 
concern that could be exempted from the establishment of Codex maximum 
residue limits for pesticides (CXLs)
 Discussion Paper on the review of mass spectrometry provisions 
in the Guidelines on the Use of Mass Spectrometry for the 
Identification, Confirmation and Quantitative Determination of 
Pesticide Residues (CXG 56-2005) and the Guidelines on Performance 
Criteria of Pesticide Residues in Food and Feed (CXG 90-2017)
 Discussion paper on monitoring the purity and stability of 
certified reference material of multi-class pesticides during prolonged 
storage
 Discussion paper on engagement of JMPR in parallel reviews of 
new compounds

[[Page 11687]]

 Discussion paper on the management of unsupported compounds 
without public health concerns scheduled for periodic review by JMPR
 National registrations of pesticides (National Registration 
Database for Pesticides for Periodic Review by JMPR)
 Establishment of CCPR Schedules and Priority Lists for the 
evaluation of pesticides by JMPR

Public Meeting

    At the June 2, 2022, 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 Captain David Miller, U.S. 
Delegate for the 53rd Session of the CCPR (see ADDRESSES). Written 
comments should state that they relate to activities of the 53rd 
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: https://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 https://www.usda.gov/sites/default/files/documents/ad-3027.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, American Sign Language, 
etc.) should contact USDA's TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and 
TDD).

Mary Frances Lowe,
U.S. Manager for Codex Alimentarius.
[FR Doc. 2022-04342 Filed 3-1-22; 8:45 am]
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