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

64713

Vol. 69, No. 215

Monday, November 8, 2004

1Foreign Trade Division, U.S. Bureau. Office of 

Trade and Analysis (OTEA), International Trade 

Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce.

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

Agricultural Marketing Service 

[Docket # FV–04–334] 

United States Standards for Grades of 

Olive Oil

AGENCY: Agricultural Marketing Service, 

USDA.

ACTION: Notice.

SUMMARY: The Agricultural Marketing 

Service (AMS), prior to undertaking 

research and other work associated with 

revising an official grade standard, is 

soliciting comments on the petition to 

change the United States Standards for 

Grades of Olive Oil. AMS received a 

petition from olive oil producers asking 

USDA to consider revising the current 

U.S. grade standard to conform to 

current industry standards commonly 

accepted in the United States and 

abroad.

DATES: Comments must be submitted on 

or before December 8, 2004.

ADDRESSES: Interested persons are 

invited to submit written comments 

concerning this notice. Comments must 

be sent to Chere L. Shorter, 

Standardization Section, Processed 

Products Branch, Fruit and Vegetable 

Programs, Agricultural Marketing 

Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, 

1400 Independence Avenue SW., Room 

0709, South Building; STOP 0247, 

Washington, DC 20250; telephone (202) 

720–4693; fax (202) 690–1527, e-mail 

Chere.Shorter@usda.gov. The United 

States Standards for Grades of Olive Oil 

is available either through the address 

cited above or by accessing the AMS 

Web site on the Internet at http://

www.ams.usda.gov/fv/ppb.html. Any 

comments received regarding the notice 

will be posted at that site. Comments 

also will be available for public 

inspection in the above office during 

regular business hours.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Chere L. Shorter, telephone (202) 720–

4693.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Background 

AMS received a petition from 

California Olive Oil Council, an 

association of olive oil producers, 

requesting the revision of the United 

States Standards for Grades of Olive Oil. 

These standards are issued under the 

Agricultural Marketing Act of 1946 (7 

U.S.C. 1621 etc.). 

The petitioners are requesting the 

USDA to revise the terminology 

employed in connection with grades of 

olive oil. The current standard, effective 

since March 22, 1948, uses grades of 

‘‘fancy,’’ ‘‘choice,’’ and ‘‘substandard.’’ 

These terms are not consistent with 

today’s terminology for the olive oil 

industry. The petitioners are requesting 

that the new proposed standard, which 

would be first published as a proposal 

with a request for public comment, 

employ the terms used commercially in 

the marketplace. 

These terms are divided into two 

major groups: ‘‘olive oil,’’ and ‘‘olivepomace oil.’’ ‘‘Olive oil,’’ is defined as 

oil obtained exclusively from the fruit of 

the olive tree, produced without 

solvents or re-esterification processes. 

The broad term olive oil includes 

‘‘virgin olive oil,’’ ‘‘refined olive oil,’’ 

and ‘‘blended olive oil.’’ Virgin olive oil 

is further delineated into two more 

categories: ‘‘virgin oils fit for 

consumption as they are’’ and ‘‘virgin 

olive oil not fit for human 

consumption.’’ ‘‘Virgin oils fit for 

consumption as they are,’’ include 

‘‘extra virgin olive oil,’’ ‘‘virgin olive 

oil,’’ and ‘‘ordinary olive oil.’’ ‘‘Virgin 

olive oil not fit for human 

consumption,’’ is caused by ‘‘rancidity,’’ 

and is intended to be refined or used for 

other technical purposes. 

The second major group of olive oil is 

Olive pomace oil and includes ‘‘crude 

olive-pomace oil,’’ ‘‘refined olivepomace oil,’’ and ‘‘olive pomace oil.’’ 

Olive pomace oil is obtained by treating 

olive pomace with solvents or other 

physical treatments, excluding oils of 

other kinds or oils obtained by reesterification. 

The petitioners have detailed identity 

characteristics comprising purity 

criteria applicable to olive oils and 

olive-pomace oil based on 

internationally accepted standards.

Domestic olive oil production occurs 

primarily in California (approximately 

99%), with lesser amounts produced in 

Texas and Arizona. U.S. olive oil 

production in 1998 was 325,000 gallons 

(approx. 2,400,000 pounds). The U.S. 

share of world production is 0.1 

percent. In 2003, the U.S. domestic 

consumption of olive oil was 454 

million pounds. The U.S. imports more 

than 360 million pounds a year 1. 

According to the petitioner, there are 

more than 400 producers and growers of 

olive oil domestically.

The petitioners believe that changing 

the standard would enhance the ability 

of U.S. olive oil producers to compete 

domestically and internationally. A 

copy of the petitioners’ request is 

located on the AMS Web site at http:/

/www.ams.usda.gov/fv/ppb.html along 

with the current U.S. Standards for 

Grades of Olive Oil. 

Agricultural Marketing Service 

Prior to undertaking detailed work to 

develop a proposed revised standard, 

AMS is soliciting comments on the 

petition requesting the revision of the 

U.S. Standards for Grades of Olive Oil. 

In particular, AMS would welcome 

comments and information regarding 

the likely utility of revised terminology 

to include types of olive oil, namely 

‘‘Extra-Virgin Olive Oil,’’ ‘‘Virgin Olive 

Oil,’’ ‘‘Refined Olive Oil,’’ ‘‘Olive Oil,’’ 

and ‘‘Olive-Pomace Oil’’ and the 

probable impact on processors, and 

growers. AMS is requesting comments 

on the petitioners proposed standard 

regarding the quality, purity, and 

identity characteristics, i.e., color, 

defects, flavor, methods of analysis, 

fatty acid composition, or any other 

pertinent criteria. Further details of the 

proposed standard are provided in the 

petition and are available from Chere L. 

Shorter at the previously mentioned 

address in the FOR FURTHER INFORMATION

CONTACT section or can be found on the 

AMS Web site at http://

www.ams.usda.gov/fv/ppb.html under 

the ‘‘Federal Register Notices’’ link. 

This notice provides for a 30-day 

comment period for interested parties to 

comment on the petition to develop a 

proposed revision of the standard.

64714 Federal Register / Vol. 69, No. 215 / Monday, November 8, 2004 / Notices 

Should AMS conclude that there is a 

need for changes to the standard, 

detailed work would be undertaken and 

the eventual proposed standard would 

be published in the Federal Register

with a request for comments in 

accordance with 7 CFR part 36.

Authority: 7 U.S.C. 1621–1627.

Dated: November 2, 2004. 

A.J. Yates, 

Administrator, Agricultural Marketing 

Service.

[FR Doc. 04–24826 Filed 11–5–04; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3410–02–P

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Animal and Plant Health Inspection 

Service 

[Docket No. 04–119–1] 

National Animal Identification System; 

Public Meeting

AGENCY: Animal and Plant Health 

Inspection Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice of public meeting.

SUMMARY: We are advising the public 

that the Veterinary Services program of 

the Animal and Plant Health Inspection 

Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, 

will host a meeting to provide 

stakeholders in the Department’s 

National Animal Identification System 

(NAIS), particularly manufacturers and 

distributors of animal identification 

devices and technologies, with an 

opportunity to offer comments on the 

administration of animal identification 

numbers under the NAIS. Specifically, 

the session will focus on the anticipated 

roles and requirements for individuals, 

organizations, and companies that wish 

to become authorized animal 

identification number managers or 

distributors of approved animal 

identification devices.

DATES: The public meeting will be held 

Friday, November 19, 2004, from 9 a.m. 

to 3 p.m.

ADDRESSES: The public meeting will be 

held at the Kansas City Airport Marriott, 

775 Brasilia Avenue, Kansas City, MO.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. 

Neil Hammerschmidt, Animal 

Identification Officer, National Center 

for Animal Health Programs, VS, 

APHIS, 4700 River Road Unit 43, 

Riverdale, MD 20737–1231, (301) 734–

5571.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On 

December 30, 2003, the Secretary of 

Agriculture announced that the U.S. 

Department of Agriculture (USDA) 

would expedite the implementation of a 

National Animal Identification System 

(NAIS) for all animal species after the 

discovery of bovine spongiform 

encephalopathy in a cow in Washington 

State. On April 27, 2004, following 

several months of development, the 

Secretary announced the framework for 

implementation of a NAIS designed to 

provide a unique identification number 

for agricultural premises and animals so 

that diseases can be more quickly 

contained and eradicated. The Secretary 

also announced that $18.8 million 

would be transferred from the 

Department’s Commodity Credit 

Corporation to provide initial funding 

for the program during fiscal year (FY) 

2004. The FY 2004 funding has been 

earmarked for the initial infrastructure 

development and implementation of the 

national system, but both private and 

public support will be required to make 

it fully operational. The 

Administration’s proposed FY 2005 

budget includes another $33 million for 

the effort. 

The NAIS will be implemented in 

several phases over time. Currently, the 

registration of premises, i.e., the 

locations where livestock are raised or 

held, is the primary activity of the 

NAIS. The second phase will involve 

the identification of animals. Certain 

species, such as cattle, will require 

individual identification, which will be 

accomplished by attaching to the animal 

an approved identification tag or device 

bearing an animal identification number 

(AIN). The AIN may be cross-referenced 

or linked to other technologies (e.g., 

radio frequency identification, retinal 

image, DNA, etc.) to automate the 

collection of the animal’s number or to 

verify the animal’s identification. Other 

species, such as swine and poultry, 

typically move through the production 

chain in groups or lots. These animals 

may be eligible for identification as a 

group. 

In order to facilitate the 

implementation of the NAIS, we are 

publishing an interim rule in the Rules 

and Regulations section of this issue of 

the Federal Register (APHIS Docket No. 

04–052–1, ‘‘Livestock Identification; 

Use of Alternative Numbering 

Systems’’) that, among other things, 

amended the regulations to recognize 

additional numbering systems for the 

identification of animals in interstate 

commerce and State/Federal/industry 

cooperative disease control and 

eradication programs and to redefine the 

numbering system to identify premises 

where animals are managed or held. The 

interim rule recognizes numbering 

systems for individual animals, as well 

as groups or lots of animals within the 

same production system. Use of the new 

numbering systems will not, however, 

be required as a result of the interim 

rule. 

Various non-producer participants 

will be involved in administering the 

NAIS. One group of non-producer 

participants is the AIN managers, who 

will manufacture or provide distributors 

with approved identification devices or 

technologies containing the AIN. 

Another group is the AIN distributors, 

who will provide AIN tags or devices to 

premises that hold or manage livestock. 

The design and development of an 

AIN management system will be 

initiated in the near future. This system 

will require a method to approve 

entities to become authorized AIN 

managers and distributors and to 

evaluate performance. In addition, the 

system will need a method for the 

allocation and distribution of AINs and 

the approval of official animal 

identification devices. 

For implementation to be successful, 

it is imperative that we share our plans 

for the AIN management system with 

potential AIN managers and distributors 

and provide a forum for them to present 

their views. Therefore, we plan to 

conduct a public meeting on Friday, 

November 19, 2004, at the Kansas City 

Airport Marriott, Kansas City, MO, for 

industry stakeholders, in particular 

those that manufacture and/or distribute 

animal identification devices. The focus 

of the session will be on the anticipated 

roles and responsibilities of AIN 

managers and distributors under the 

NAIS. 

The meeting will be open to the 

public and is intended to provide a 

forum for the exchange of information 

regarding the administration of AINs 

under the NAIS. The meeting is not 

intended to serve as an opportunity for 

the submission of comments regarding 

the interim rule published in this issue 

of the Federal Register (APHIS Docket 

No. 04–052–1, ‘‘Livestock Identification; 

Use of Alternative Numbering 

Systems’’). Persons wishing to submit 

comments on that interim rule should 

refer to the commenting instructions 

contained in that document.

Done in Washington, DC, this 2nd day of 

November 2004. 

Kevin Shea, 

Acting Administrator, Animal and Plant 

Health Inspection Service.

[FR Doc. E4–3052 Filed 11–5–04; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3410–34–P