[Federal Register Volume 75, Number 155 (Thursday, August 12, 2010)]
[Notices]
[Pages 48928-48929]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2010-20011]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Food Safety and Inspection Service

[Docket No. FSIS-2010-0024]


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

AGENCY: Office of the Acting Under Secretary for Food Safety, USDA.

ACTION: Notice of public meeting and request for comments.

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SUMMARY: The Office of the Acting Under Secretary for Food Safety, U.S. 
Department of Agriculture (USDA), and the U.S. Food and Drug 
Administration (FDA), Center for Veterinary Medicine, are sponsoring a 
public meeting on August 16, 2010. The objective of the public meeting 
is to provide information and receive public comments on agenda items 
and draft U.S. positions that will be discussed at the 19th Session of 
the Codex Committee on Residues of Veterinary Drugs in Foods (CCRVDF), 
which will be held in Burlington, Vermont, from August 30-September 3, 
2010. The Acting Under Secretary for Food Safety and the FDA recognize 
the importance of providing interested parties the opportunity to 
obtain background information on the 19th CCRVDF session and to address 
items on the agenda.

DATES: The public meeting is scheduled for August 16, 2010, from 1 
p.m.-4 p.m.

ADDRESSES: The public meeting will be held at USDA, J.L. Whitten 
Building, Room 107-A, 1400 Independence Avenue, SW., Washington, DC 
20250.
    Conference Call Information:

Call-In#: 1-866-692-3158.
Passcode: 5986642.
    Documents related to the 19th Session of the CCRVDF will be 
accessible via the World Wide Web at the following address: http://www.codexalimentarius.net/current.asp.
    The U.S. Delegate to the 19th Session of the CCRVDF, Dr. Kevin 
Greenlees, and the FDA invite U.S. interested parties to submit their 
comments electronically to the following e-mail address: 
[email protected].
    For further information about the 19th session of the CCRVDF 
contact: Dr. Kevin Greenlees, Senior Advisor for Science & Policy, 
Office of New Animal Drug Evaluation, HFV-100 USFDA Center for 
Veterinary Medicine, 7520 Standish Place, Rockville, MD 20855, 
Telephone: (240) 276-8214, Fax: (240) 276-9538, e-mail: 
[email protected]
    For further information about the public meeting, contact: Ken 
Lowery,

[[Page 48929]]

International Issues Analyst, USDA, Food Safety and Inspection Service, 
U.S. Codex Office, 1400 Independence Avenue, SW., Room 4861, 
Washington, DC 20250, Telephone: (202) 690-4042, Fax: (202) 720-3157, 
e-mail: [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 andensure fair practices in the food 
trade.
    The CCRVDF is responsible for determining priorities for the 
consideration of residues of veterinary drugs in foods, recommending 
maximum levels of such substances, developing codes of practice as may 
be required, and considering methods of sampling and analysis for the 
determination of veterinary drug residues in foods.
    The Committee is hosted by the United States.

Issues To Be Discussed at the Public Meeting

    The following items on the agenda for the 19th Session of the 
CCRVDF will be discussed during the public meeting:
     Matters referred by the Codex Alimentarius Commission and 
other Codex committees and task forces.
     Matters arising from FAO/WHO.
     Report of the World Organization For Animal Health (OIE) 
activities, including the harmonization of technical requirements for 
registration of veterinary medicinal products.
     Draft Maximum Residue Limits (MRL) for veterinary drugs 
(at Step 7).
     Discussion paper on methods of analysis for residues of 
veterinary drugs in foods.
     Draft priority list of veterinary drugs requiring 
evaluation or re-evaluation by the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on 
Food Additives (JECFA).
     Factors related to the establishment of Acceptable Dietary 
Intake (ADI) and the process of recommending MRLs.
     Risk management recommendations for veterinary drugs for 
which no ADI and MRL has been recommended by JECFA.
     Discussion paper on veterinary drugs in honey production.
     Discussion paper on sampling plan for residue control for 
aquatic animal products and derived edible products of aquatic origin.

Public Meeting

    At the August 16, 2010, 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 the U.S. Delegate for the 19th 
Session of the CCRVDF, Dr. Kevin Greenlees (see ADDRESSES). Written 
comments should state that they relate to activities of the 19th 
Session of the CCRVDF.

USDA Nondiscrimination Statement

    USDA prohibits discrimination in all its programs and activities on 
the basis of race, color, national origin, gender, religion, age, 
disability, political beliefs, sexual orientation, and marital or 
family status. (Not all prohibited bases apply to all programs.) 
Persons with disabilities who require alternative means for 
communication of program information (Braille, large print, or 
audiotape) should contact USDA's Target Center at 202-720-2600 (voice 
and TTY).
    To file a written complaint of discrimination, write USDA, Office 
of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights, 1400 Independence Avenue, 
SW., Washington, DC 20250-9410 or call 202-720-5964 (voice and TTY). 
USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer.

Additional Public Notification

    Public awareness of all segments of rulemaking and policy 
development is important. Consequently, in an effort to ensure that 
minorities, women, and persons with disabilities are aware of this 
notice, FSIS will announce it online through the FSIS Web page located 
at http://www.fsis.usda.gov/regulations/2010_Notices_Index/. FSIS 
will also make copies of this Federal Register publication available 
through the FSIS Constituent Update, which is used to provide 
information regarding FSIS policies, procedures, regulations, Federal 
Register notices, FSIS public meetings, and other types of information 
that could affect or would be of interest to constituents and 
stakeholders. The Update is communicated via Listserv, a free 
electronic mail subscription service for industry, trade groups, 
consumer interest groups, health professionals, and other individuals 
who have asked to be included. The Update is also available on the FSIS 
Web page. Through Listserv and the Web page, FSIS is able to provide 
information to a much broader and more diverse audience. In addition, 
FSIS offers an electronic mail subscription service that provides 
automatic and customized access to selected food safety news and 
information. This service is available at http://www.fsis.usda.gov/news_and_events/email_subscription/. Options range from recalls to 
export information to regulations, directives, and notices. Customers 
can add or delete subscriptions themselves, and have the option to 
password protect their accounts.

    Done at Washington, DC on: August 10, 2010.
Karen Stuck,
U.S. Manager for Codex Alimentarius.
[FR Doc. 2010-20011 Filed 8-10-10; 4:15 pm]
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