[Federal Register: October 1, 1999 (Volume 64, Number 190)]
[Notices]
[Page 53308-53310]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr01oc99-40]

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Notices
                                                Federal Register
________________________________________________________________________

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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[[Page 53308]]

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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Foreign Agricultural Service


Notice of Public Meeting on U.S. Participation in the 16th Annual
Meeting of the International Consultative Group on Food Irradiation

AGENCY: Foreign Agricultural Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice of meeting.

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SUMMARY: FAS is informing the public of a meeting to be held Thursday,
October 7, 1999, at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) in
Washington, DC. The purpose of this meeting is to solicit public
comment on U.S. participation in the 16th annual meeting of the
International Consultative Group on Food Irradiation (ICGFI), October
25-27, 1999, in Antalya, Turkey, including the continued U.S.
participation, future activities (Plan of Work), U.S. level of
contributions (funding), and ICGFI's role. It is also to seek public
input in identifying any new issues of concern that should be
considered.
    Representatives from past delegations will also be present to
apprise the public of the background of ICGFI, its mandate, past
contributions and to respond to questions. ICGFI was established under
the joint aegis of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United
Nations (FAO), the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and the
World Health Organization (WHO).
    The functions of ICGFI are:
    1. To evaluate global developments in the field of food
irradiation;
    2. To provide a focal point of advice on the application of food
irradiation to Member States and the three Organizations; and
    3. To furnish information, as required, through the Organizations,
to the Joint FAO/IAEA/WHO Expert Committee on the Wholesomeness of
Irradiated Food and the Codex Alimentarius Commission.

DATES: The public meeting date is Thursday, October 7, 1999, 9 a.m. to
11 a.m., Washington, DC in Room 5066 South Building. Written comments
should be submitted by October 5, 1999.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Foreign Agricultural Service, International Trade Policy, Food Safety
and Technical Services Division, Room 5545, South Building, 1400
Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, DC 20250, (202) 720-1301; or e-
mail ofsts@fas.usda.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Topics to be Discussed at the Public Meeting Include the Following

    Should the United States continue to participate in ICGFI?
    What are the benefits to the U.S. taxpayer? Industry? Government?
    What are the drawbacks or costs we should consider?
    Should the United States continue to support ICGFI financially?
    If the answer is yes, how should ICGFI be funded?
    Should the United States Government continue to contribute to
ICGFI?
    If yes, should we continue at the same level, increase, or decrease
our contributions?
    Should contributions continue to come only from the Government, or
should industry contribute as well (or in place of)?
    Should the proposed ``Programme of Work and Budget for 2000'' be
approved?

------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                              Estimated
                     Programme of Work                          Budget
                                                                (US$)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. International Trade:
    (a) Food Irradiation Process Control School (FIPCOS)          35,000
     for Operators of Irradiation Facilities and Food
     Inspectors............................................
    (b) Seminar on Trade Opportunities for Irradiated Foods       25,000
     for Asia and the Pacific..............................
    (c) Workshop on Facilitating Trade in Irradiated Food         20,000
     with the European Union...............................
2. Legislation:
    (a) Amendments to Codex General Standard for Irradiated        5,000
     Foods (through the Codex Committee on Food Additives
     and Contaminants).....................................
    (b) Proposed Amendment to the Labeling Provisions on           3,000
     Irradiated Foods (through the Codex Committee on Food
     Labelling)............................................
    (c) Publication of revised ICGFI Codes of Good                 (\1\)
     Irradiation Practices (GIP)...........................
3. Information Transfer:
    (a) Publication of Brochure on Application of ``High-          (\1\)
     Dose Irradiation of Food''............................
    (b) Publication of Education Materials on Food                 5,000
     Irradiation...........................................
4. Database:
    (a) Revise database on list of clearance of irradiated         (\2\)
     food..................................................
    (b) Update current database: national regulations, food        (\2\)
     irradiation facilities, authorized packaging,
     materials, trainees, etc..............................
5. Administration:
    (a) One professional staff (part-time).................       45,000
    (b) One support staff..................................       60,000
    (c) Travel.............................................       10,000
    (d) Miscellaneous (telephone, shipping, etc.)..........        5,000
                                                            ------------
        Total (cash).......................................      213,000
------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\ In-kind.
\2\ No-cost.

[[Page 53309]]

    Are there any other topics we think ICGFI should address?

Background Information on ICGFI

    What is ICGFI?
    An independent body composed of government-designated experts on
food irradiation.
    How was ICGFI formed?
    In 1982, the Directors General of FAO, IAEA and WHO invited Member
States to consider forming a consultative group to focus in
international co-operation in food irradiation. Upon receipt of a
favorable response from 44 Member States, those present at a meeting in
1983 drafted a Declaration establishing the International Consultative
Group on Food Irradiation (ICGFI). ICGFI, composed of experts or other
participants designated by each government, was established in 1984 for
an initial period of 5 years.
    How is ICGFI organized?
    FAO, IAEA and WHO, through the Joint FAO/IAEA Division of Nuclear
Techniques in Food and Agriculture based at the IAEA, Vienna, serve as
ICGFI's Secretariat.
    What are the functions of ICGFI?
    1. to evaluate global developments in the field of food
irradiation;
    2. to provide a focal point of advice on the application of food
irradiation to Member States and the three Organizations; and
    3. to furnish information, as required, through the Organizations,
to the Joint FAO/IAEA/WHO Expert Committee on the Wholesomeness of
Irradiated Food and the Codex Alimentarius Commission.
    Who determines the priorities?
    ICGFI funds and operates its own programs, focusing on developing
policy guidelines related to the safety assurance of the process,
legislation, public information, economic feasibility, food safety, and
international trade.
    How does ICGFI acquire funding?
    Member State governments pledge, or arrange for participants to
pledge to make voluntary contributions in cash or in kind, for carrying
out the activities of the Consultative Group. The Consultative Group
may accept voluntary contributions in cash or in kind from Non-Member
State governments and from organizations whose objectives are
consistent with those of the Consultative Group.
    What are the guidelines for donations to ICGFI?
    1. IAEA rules govern the acceptance of gifts of services,
equipment, facilities and money.
    2. Voluntary contributions may be offered to the Agency by: United
Nations Member State governments, intergovernmental organizations and
non-governmental sources.
    3. Contributions may not exceed US $100,000 or its equivalent per
year.
    How much does the United States contribute?
    Various Departments and Agencies have together contributed $30,000
per year to ICGFI.
    How frequently does ICGFI meet?
    ICGFI convenes annual meetings to develop technical recommendations
and to consider its program of work and budget. At the 10th Annual
Meeting held at WHO Headquarters in Geneva from November 2-4, 1993, the
group's experts recommended that the ICGFI mandate be extended for a
further 5 years until May 1999.
    How much longer does ICGFI's mandate last?
    Many of the activities set out for ICGFI in the original mandate
have been accomplished. However, a Task Force identified six areas of
activity in which further work is needed. In October 1998 at the 15th
Annual Meeting, the mandate of the ICGFI was extended to another 3
years, i.e. May 1999 to May 2002. The ICGFI program will be co-
ordinated by a Management Committee and will be refocused, putting
emphasis on international trade, information exchange, high dose
irradiation and seminars/training.
    What kind of training is ICGFI involved with?
    An example is the FAO/IAEA/WHO International Conference on
Irradiation to Ensure the Safety and Quality of Food, in Antalya,
Turkey, October 19-22, 1999. This Conference will review achievements
on food irradiation during the 20th century and examine the role of
irradiation to ensure the safety and quality of food in trade.
Irradiation is increasingly accepted and applied as a sanitary and
phytosanitary treatment of food in trade. Currently, some 50 countries
have approved one or more irradiated food items or classes of food for
consumption and over 30 countries are actually applying the technology
in practice. The number of irradiation facilities available for
treating food has increased in recent years with many more under
construction or planned. Consumers are getting accurate information and
are beginning to appreciate the benefit of irradiated food.
    Who belongs to ICGFI?
    The group is currently composed of the following 47 Member States,
more than half of which are developing countries:
    Argentina, Australia, Bangladesh, Belgium, Brazil, Bulgaria,
Canada, Chile, People's Republic of China, Costa Rica, Cote D'Ivoire,
Croatia, Cuba, Czech Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, France, Germany, Ghana,
Greece, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Iraq, Israel, Italy, Republic of
Korea, Malaysia, Mexico, Morocco, Netherlands, New Zealand, Pakistan,
Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, South Africa, Syrian Arab
Republic, Thailand, Tunisia, Turkey, Ukraine, United Kingdom, USA,
Vietnam, and Yugoslavia.
    Do only government representatives attend ICGFI meetings?
    Meetings are attended by designated experts from ICGFI member
governments, and representatives of other interested governments,
international organizations and non-governmental organizations are
invited by ICGFI to attend as observers.
    Where is the Secretariat located?
    Food & Environmental Protection Section, Joint FAO/IAEA Division of
Nuclear Techniques in Food and Agriculture, International Atomic Energy
Agency, Wagramerstrasse 5, P.O. Box 100, A-1400 Vienna, Austria. Phone:
(43-1) 2600 extension 21638 or 21639; Facsimile: (43-1) 26007; e-mail:
Official.Mail@iaea.org
    How does ICGFI communicate with all the countries?
    There is an ICGFI National Contact Point for each Member State.
    What are the responsibilities of ICGFI Contact Points?
    1. Distribution within the country of documents, working papers and
other information material emanating from ICGFI or its Secretariat;
    2. Co-ordinating the preparation for transmission to the
Secretariat of technical comments/ information requested;
    3. Taking follow-up action on particular matters, in collaboration
with the expert(s) attending the particular ICGFI meeting;
    4. Providing information, as available, to the Secretariat on the
status of food irradiation technology, its regulatory control and other
related topics of interest to ICGFI; and
    5. Ensuring that information made available by the ICGFI
Secretariat is disseminated to the interested national entities/
individuals.
    Public Meeting: The public meeting will take place at the US
Department of Agriculture, 1400 Independence Ave. SW, Washington, DC,
Room 5066 South Building. To accommodate all public forum participants,
we request that individuals planning to attend should so inform the
Department in advance by contacting: Foreign Agricultural Service,
International Trade Policy, Food Safety and Technical Services
Division, Room 5545, South Building, 1400

[[Page 53310]]

Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, DC, 20250, (202) 720-1301; or e-
mail ofsts@fas.usda.gov. Please indicate the organization represented,
if any, including the names and titles of individuals attending.
    Written Comments: Those persons wishing to submit written comments
should provide five (5) typed copies to Foreign Agricultural Service,
International Trade Policy, Food Safety and Technical Services
Division, Room 5545, South Building, 1400 Independence Avenue, SW,
Washington, DC. If the submission contains business confidential
information, five copies of a confidential version must also be
submitted. A justification as to why the information contained in the
submission should be treated confidentially must be included in the
submission. In addition, any submissions containing business
confidential information must be clearly marked ``Confidential'' at the
top and bottom of the cover page (or letter) and of each succeeding
page of the submission. The version that doe not contain confidential
information should also be clearly marked, at the top and bottom of
each page, ``public version'' or ``nonconfidential''. Written comments
submitted in connection with this request, except for information
deemed ``business confidential'' by FAS will be available for public
inspection in the USDA Reading Room, Room 1141, USDA South Building,
1400 Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, DC. Normal Reading Room hours
are from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, except holidays.
Please call (202) 690-2817 to assure that assistance will be available
in the Reading Room.

    Dated: September 27, 1999.
Timothy J. Galvin,
Administrator, Foreign Agricultural Service.
[FR Doc. 99-25484 Filed 9-28-99; 9:51 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-10-M