[Federal Register: January 31, 2003 (Volume 68, Number 21)]
[Notices]
[Page 4982-4983]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr31ja03-49]
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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Food Safety and Inspection Service
[Docket No. 03-002N]
Codex Alimentarius: Meeting of the Codex Committee on Residues of
Veterinary Drugs in Foods
AGENCY: Office of the Under Secretary for Food Safety.
ACTION: Notice of public meeting; request for comments.
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SUMMARY: The Office of the Under Secretary for Food Safety, U.S.
Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Center for Veterinary Medicine
(CVM), U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), are sponsoring a public
meeting on Tuesday, February 18, 2003, to provide information and
receive public comments on agenda items that will be discussed at the
14th Session of the Codex Committee on Residues of Veterinary Drugs in
Foods (CCRVDF), which will be held in Washington, DC on March 4-7,
2003. The Under Secretary and CVM recognize the importance of providing
interested parties with information about CCRVDF of the Codex
Alimentarius Commission and of discussing items on the Agenda for the
14th Session of the Committee.
DATES: The public meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, February 18, 2003
from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.
ADDRESSES: The public meeting will be held in Room 0161 of the South
Building, Department of Agriculture, 1400 Independence Avenue SW.,
Washington, DC (Smithsonian Metro Stop). To receive copies of the
documents referenced in the notice contact the FSIS Docket Clerk, U.S.
Department of Agriculture, Food Safety and Inspection Service, Room
102, Cotton Annex, 300 12th Street, SW., Washington, DC 20250-3700. The
documents will also be accessible via the World Wide Web at the
following address: http://www.codexalimentarius.net/current.asp. A link
is provided there to the agenda.
If you have comments, please send an original and two copies to the
FSIS Docket Clerk and reference Docket Number 03-002N. All comments
submitted will be available for public inspection in the Docket Clerk's
Office between 8:30 am and 4:30 pm, Monday through Friday.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Edith E. Kennard, Staff Officer, U.S.
Codex Office, Food Safety and Inspection Service, Room 4861, South
Building, 1400 Independence Avenue SW., Washington, DC 20250, Phone:
(202) 720-5261, Fax: (202) 720-3157, e-mail:
edith.kennard@fsis.usda.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background
The Codex Alimentarius Commission was established in 1962 by two
United Nations organizations, the Food and Agriculture Organization
(FAO) and the World Health Organization (WHO). Codex is the major
international organization for encouraging fair international trade in
food and protecting the health and economic interests of consumers.
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 ensure that the
world's food supply is sound, wholesome, free from adulteration, and
correctly labeled. In the United States, USDA, FDA, and the
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) manage and carry out U.S. Codex
activities.
The Codex Committee on Residues of Veterinary Drugs in Foods held
its First Session in Washington, DC on 27-31 October, 1986. The
Committee's Terms of Reference are:
(a) To determine priorities for the consideration of residues of
veterinary drugs in foods;
(b) To recommend maximum levels of such substances;
(c) To develop codes of practice as may be required;
(d) To consider methods of sampling and analysis for the
determination of veterinary drug residues in foods.
The Codex Committee on Residues of Veterinary Drugs in Foods is
hosted by the United States.
Issues To Be Discussed at the Public Meeting
Provisional agenda items to be discussed during the public meeting:
--Consideration of Draft Maximum Residue Limits for Veterinary Drugs;
--Proposed Draft Appendix on the Prevention and Control of Veterinary
Drug Residues in Milk and Milk Products;
--Proposed Draft Code of Practice to Minimize and Contain Antimicrobial
Resistance;
[[Page 4983]]
--Proposed Draft Revised Guidelines for the Establishment of a
Regulatory Programme for the Control of Veterinary Drugs in Foods;
--Discussion Paper on Risk Analysis Principles and Methodologies,
including Risk Assessment;
--Policies in the Codex Committee on Residues of Veterinary Drugs in
Foods;
--Discussion Paper on Residue Issues;
--Review of Performance-Based Criteria for Methods of Analysis;
--Consideration of the Identification of Routine Methods of Analysis;
--Consideration of the Priority List of Veterinary Drugs Requiring
Evaluation or Re-evaluation.
Public Meeting
At the February 18 public meeting, the agenda items will be
described and discussed, and attendees will have the opportunity to
pose questions and offer comments. Comments may be sent to the FSIS
Docket Room (see ADDRESSES). Written comments should state that they
relate to activities of the Codex Committee on Residues of Veterinary
Drugs in Foods.
Additional Public Notification
Pursuant to Departmental Regulation 4300-4, ``Civil Rights Impact
Analysis,'' dated September 22, 1993, FSIS has considered the potential
civil rights impact of this notice on minorities, women, and persons
with disabilities. Therefore, to ensure that these groups and others
are made aware of this meeting, FSIS will announce it and provide
copies of the Federal Register publication in the FSIS Constituent
Update. FSIS provides a weekly FSIS Constituent Update, which is
communicated via Listserv, a free e-mail subscription service. In
addition, the update is available on line through the Internet at
http://www.fsis.usda.gov. The update is used to provide information
regarding FSIS policies, procedures, regulations, Federal Register
notices, FSIS public meetings, recalls, and any other types of
information that could affect or would be of interest to our
constituents and stakeholders. The constituent Listserv consists of
industry, trade, and farm groups, consumer interest groups, allied
health professionals, scientific professionals, and other individuals
who have requested to be included. Through the Listserv and Web page,
FSIS is able to provide information to a much broader, more diverse
audience.
For more information, contact the Congressional and Public Affairs
Office at (202) 720-9113. To be added to the free e-mail subscription
service (Listserv), go to the ``Constituent Update'' page on the FSIS
Web site at http://www.fsis.usda.gov/oa/update.htm. Click on the
``Subscribe to the Constituent Update Listserv'' link, then fill out
and submit the form.
Done at Washington, DC, on January 28, 2003.
F. Edward Scarbrough,
U.S. Manager for Codex Alimentarius.
[FR Doc. 03-2306 Filed 1-30-03; 8:45 am]