[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 249 (Thursday, December 29, 2022)]
[Notices]
[Pages 80113-80114]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2022-28339]


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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 
January 19, 2023, from 1-3 p.m. EST. 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 
26th Session of the Codex Committee on Residues of Veterinary Drugs in 
Foods (CCRVDF)of the Codex Alimentarius Commission, which will meet in 
Portland, Oregon, from February 13-17, 2023. The U.S. Manager for Codex 
Alimentarius and the Acting Deputy Under Secretary, Office of Trade and 
Foreign Agricultural Affairs, recognize the importance of providing 
interested parties the opportunity to obtain background information on 
the 26th Session of the CCRVDF and to address items on the agenda.

DATES: The public meeting is scheduled for January 19, 2023, from 1-3 
p.m. EST.

ADDRESSES: The public meeting will take place via video teleconference 
only. Documents related to the 26th Session of the CCRVDF will be 
accessible via the internet at the following address: https://www.fao.org/fao-who-codexalimentarius/meetings/detail/it/?meeting=CCRVDF&session=26.
    Dr. Jonathan Greene, U.S. Delegate to the 26th Session of the 
CCRVDF, invites interested U.S. parties to submit their comments 
electronically to the following email address: 
[email protected].
    Registration: Attendees may register to attend the public meeting 
here: https://www.zoomgov.com/meeting/register/vJIsc-6hqTMjE5ICvoM7yPKT1nGbIslVVf0.
    After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing 
information about joining the meeting.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For further information about the 26th 
session of CCRVDF, contact Jonathan M. Greene, Ph.D., Biologist, 
Residue Chemistry Team, HFV 151, Division of Human Food Safety, Office 
of New Animal Drug Evaluation, Center for Veterinary Medicine, U.S. 
Food and Drug Administration, Phone +1(240)402-4697, Email: 
[email protected]. For further information contact about the 
public meeting, contact: Ken Lowery, U.S. Codex Office, 1400 
Independence Avenue SW. Room 4861, South Building, Washington, DC 
20250. Phone:(202) 690-4042, Email: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

    The Codex Alimentarius Commission 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 for the Codex Committee on Residues of 
Veterinary Drugs in Foods (CCRVDF) are:
    (a) to determine priorities for the consideration of residues of 
veterinary drugs in foods;

[[Page 80114]]

    (b) to recommend Maximum Residue Limits (MRLs) for veterinary 
drugs;
    (c) to develop codes of practice as may be required; and,
    (d) to consider methods of sampling and analysis for the 
determination of veterinary drug residues in foods.
    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 FAO/WHO 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 26th Session of the 
CCRVDF will be discussed during the public meeting:
 Matters referred by CAC and other subsidiary bodies
 Matters of interest arising from FAO/WHO including JECFA
 Matters of interest arising from the Joint FAO/International 
Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Centre
 Matters of interest arising from the World Organisation for 
Animal Health (WOAH, formerly OIE), including the Veterinary 
International Conference on Harmonization (VICH)
 MRLs for veterinary drugs in foods
    [cir] MRLs for Ivermectin (sheep, pigs and goats--fat, kidney, 
liver and muscle)
    [cir] MRLs for Ivermectin (pigs, sheep and goats) and Nicarbazin 
(chicken)
 Extrapolation of MRLs for veterinary drugs in foods
    [cir] Extrapolated MRLs for different combinations of compounds/
commodities
    [cir] Approach for the extrapolation of MRLs for residues of 
veterinary drugs for offal tissues
 Criteria or requirements for the establishment of action 
levels for unintended or unavoidable carryover from feed to food of 
animal origin
 Coordination of work between the Codex Committee on Pesticide 
Residues (CCPR) and CCRVDF
    [cir] Matters of interest arising from the Joint CCPR/CCRVDF 
Working Group
    [cir] Work in parallel on issues pertaining to harmonization of 
edible offal (i.e. Classification of Food and Feed (CXA 4-1989) and 
Food descriptors--Coordination between JECFA/JMPR)
 Priority list of veterinary drugs for evaluation or re-
evaluation by JECFA
 Other business and future work

Public Meeting

    At the public meeting on January 19, 2023, 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 Dr. Jonathan Greene, 
U.S. Delegate for the 26th Session of the CCRVDF (see ADDRESSES). 
Written comments should state that they relate to activities of the 
26th 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, 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/oascr/filing-program-discrimination-complaint-usda-customer, 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 December 23, 2022.
Mary Frances Lowe,
U.S. Manager for Codex Alimentarius.
[FR Doc. 2022-28339 Filed 12-28-22; 8:45 am]
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