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.

Notices Federal Register

26725 

Vol. 77, No. 88 

Monday, May 7, 2012 

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

Advisory Committee on Biotechnology 

and 21st Century Agriculture Meeting 

AGENCY: Office of the Under Secretary, 

Research, Education, and Economics, 

Agricultural Research Service, USDA. 

ACTION: Notice of meeting. 

SUMMARY: In accordance with the 

Federal Advisory Committee Act, 5 

U.S.C. App. 2, the United States 

Department of Agriculture announces a 

meeting of the Advisory Committee on 

Biotechnology and 21st Century 

Agriculture (AC21). 

DATES: The meeting dates are May 29– 

30, 2012, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day. 

ADDRESSES: U.S. Access Board 

Conference Room, 1331 F Street NW., 

Suite 800, Washington, DC 20004–1111. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Michael Schechtman, Designated 

Federal Official, Office of the Deputy 

Secretary, USDA, 202B Jamie L. Whitten 

Federal Building, 12th and 

Independence Avenue SW., 

Washington, DC 20250; Telephone (202) 

720–3817; Fax (202) 690–4265; Email 

AC21@ars.usda.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The next 

meeting of the AC21 has been scheduled 

for May 29–30, 2012. The AC21 consists 

of members representing the 

biotechnology industry, the organic food 

industry, farming communities, the seed 

industry, food manufacturers, state 

government, consumer and community 

development groups, as well as 

academic researchers and a medical 

doctor. In addition, representatives from 

the Department of Commerce, the 

Department of Health and Human 

Services, the Department of State, the 

Environmental Protection Agency, the 

Council on Environmental Quality, and 

the Office of the United States Trade 

Representative have been invited to 

serve as ‘‘ex officio’’ members. The 

Committee meeting will be held from 

8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on each day. The 

topics to be discussed will include: final 

reports from the four AC21 working 

groups on analyses relevant to the 

overall AC21 charge; potential economic 

impacts on farmers from the escape of 

certain genetically engineered crops 

with functional traits; and further 

analysis of committee members’ views 

related to the Committee charge in order 

to identify areas of agreement as well as 

differences and to prepare for 

development of a draft report. 

Background information regarding the 

work and membership of the AC21 is 

available on the USDA Web site at 

http://www.usda.gov/wps/portal/usda/

usdahome?contentid=AC21Main.xml&

contentidonly=true. Members of the 

public who wish to make oral 

statements should also inform Dr. 

Schechtman in writing or via Email at 

the indicated addresses at least three 

business days before the meeting. On 

May 29, 2012, if time permits, 

reasonable provision will be made for 

oral presentations of no more than five 

minutes each in duration. 

The meeting will be open to the 

public, but space is limited. If you 

would like to attend the meetings, you 

must register by contacting Ms. Dianne 

Fowler at (202) 720–4074 or by Email at 

Dianne.fowler@ars.usda.gov at least 5 

days prior to the meeting. Please 

provide your name, title, business 

affiliation, address, telephone, and fax 

number when you register. If you are a 

person with a disability and request 

reasonable accommodations to 

participate in this meeting, please note 

the request in your registration. All 

reasonable accommodation requests are 

managed on a case by case basis. 

Dated: April 18, 2012. 

Ann Bartuska, 

Deputy Under Secretary, Research, Education 

and Economics. 

[FR Doc. 2012–10264 Filed 5–3–12; 4:15 pm] 

BILLING CODE 3410–03–P 

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

Food Safety and Inspection Service 

[Docket No. FSIS–2011–0009] 

Changes to FSIS Traceback, Recall 

Procedures for Escherichia coli 

O157:H7 Positive Raw Beef Product, 

and Availability of Compliance 

Guidelines 

AGENCY: Food Safety and Inspection 

Service, USDA. 

ACTION: Notice. 

SUMMARY: The Food Safety and 

Inspection Service (FSIS) is announcing 

proposed new procedures that it intends 

to implement when FSIS or other 

Federal or State agencies find raw 

ground beef presumptive positive for 

Escherichia coli (E. coli) O157:H7. This 

methodology will enable FSIS to better 

determine whether the establishments 

that produced the source materials for 

contaminated product have produced 

other product that may not be 

microbiologically independent from the 

contaminated product. The Agency is 

also announcing its intention to now, as 

a matter of routine policy, request a 

recall if an establishment was the sole 

supplier of beef trim source materials 

for ground product that FSIS or other 

Federal or State agencies find positive 

for E. coli O157:H7, evidence suggests 

that contamination most likely occurred 

at the supplier establishment, and a 

portion of the product from the 

originating source lot was sent to other 

establishments. This notice also 

explains that FSIS intends to determine 

whether it can make better use of 

establishment results and also intends 

to conduct a study to help it identify the 

source of E. coli O157:H7 positive 

ground beef when the material from 

multiple suppliers was used to produce 

positive product. Finally, this notice 

announces the availability of 

compliance guidelines concerning 

establishment sampling and testing for 

shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC) 

organisms or virulence markers and 

compliance guidelines for E. coli 

O157:H7 sampled and tested labeling 

claims. 

DATES: FSIS requests comments on 

policies and procedures in this notice 

by July 6, 2012. FSIS intends to evaluate 

comments, make any necessary changes 

to policies and procedures based on 


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