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

16802 

Vol. 77, No. 56 

Thursday, March 22, 2012 

AFRICAN DEVELOPMENT 

FOUNDATION 

Board of Directors Meeting 

TIME: Thursday, April 12, 2012, 8:45 

a.m. to 1 p.m. 

PLACE: African Development 

Foundation, Conference Room, 1400 I 

Street NW., Suite 1000, Washington, DC 

20005. 

DATE: Thursday, April 12, 2012. 

STATUS: 

1. Open session, Thursday, April 12, 

2012, 8:45 a.m. to 11:45 a.m.; and 

2. Closed session, Thursday, April 12, 

2012, 12 p.m. to 1 p.m. 

Due to security requirements and 

limited seating, all individuals wishing 

to attend the open session of the 

meeting must notify Sarah Conway at 

(202) 233–8811 or sconway@usadf.gov 

of your request to attend by 5 p.m. on 

Thursday, April 5, 2012. 

Lloyd O. Pierson, 

President & CEO, USADF. 

[FR Doc. 2012–6920 Filed 3–21–12; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE P 

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

Submission for OMB Review; 

Comment Request, Correction 

March 19, 2012. 

The Department of Agriculture has 

submitted the following information 

collection requirement(s) to OMB for 

review and clearance under the 

Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, 

Public Law 104–13. Comments 

regarding (a) Whether the collection of 

information is necessary for the proper 

performance of the functions of the 

agency, including whether the 

information will have practical utility; 

(b) the accuracy of the agency’s estimate 

of burden including the validity of the 

methodology and assumptions used; (c) 

ways to enhance the quality, utility and 

clarity of the information to be 

collected; (d) ways to minimize the 

burden of the collection of information 

on those who are to respond, including 

through the use of appropriate 

automated, electronic, mechanical, or 

other technological collection 

techniques or other forms of information 

technology should be addressed to: Desk 

Officer for Agriculture, Office of 

Information and Regulatory Affairs, 

Office of Management and Budget 

(OMB), 

OIRA_Submission@OMB.EOP.GOV or 

fax (202) 395–5806 and to Departmental 

Clearance Office, USDA, OCIO, Mail 

Stop 7602, Washington, DC 20250– 

7602. Comments regarding these 

information collections are best assured 

of having their full effect if received 

within 30 days of this notification. 

Copies of the submission(s) may be 

obtained by calling (202) 720–8958. 

An agency may not conduct or 

sponsor a collection of information 

unless the collection of information 

displays a currently valid OMB control 

number and the agency informs 

potential persons who are to respond to 

the collection of information that such 

persons are not required to respond to 

the collection of information unless it 

displays a currently valid OMB control 

number. 

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

AGENCY: Farm Service Agency. 

ACTION: Notice; Correction. 

SUMMARY: The Department of 

Agriculture published a document in 

the Federal Register of March 19, 2012, 

concerning a request for comments on 

the information collection ‘‘Direct Loan 

Servicing—Special’’ OMB control 

number 0560–0232. The document 

contained an incorrect OMB control 

number. The correct OMB control 

number should be 0560–0233. 

Ruth Brown, 

Departmental Information Collection 

Clearance Officer. 

[FR Doc. 2012–6915 Filed 3–21–12; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3410–05–P 

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

Deschutes Provincial Advisory 

Committee (DPAC) 

AGENCY: Forest Service. 

ACTION: Notice of meeting. 

SUMMARY: The Deschutes Provincial 

Advisory Committee will meet on April 

4, 2012 to review the annual program of 

work, finalize key items for the fall field 

meetings, and listen to a presentation on 

the Deschutes County wetlands 

inventory. The meeting will also 

provide updates on the Collaborative 

Forest Landscape Restoration Act 

(CFLRA) and the sustainable recreation 

subcommittee. Members will meet at the 

Deschutes National Forest Supervisors 

office (63095 Deschutes Market Road, 

Bend, Oregon) from 9 a.m. until 1 p.m. 

All Deschutes Provincial Advisory 

Committee meetings are open to the 

public. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Michael Keown, Province Liaison, 

Sisters Ranger District, Pine Street and 

Highway 20, Sisters, Oregon 97759, 

Phone (541) 549–7735. 

John Allen, 

Deschutes National Forest Supervisor. 

[FR Doc. 2012–6770 Filed 3–21–12; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3410–11–M 

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

Agricultural Marketing Service 

[Document Number AMS–NOP–12–0011; 

NOP–12–05] 

National Organic Program Notice of 

Request for New Information 

Collection 

AGENCY: Agricultural Marketing Service, 

USDA. 

ACTION: Notice and request for 

comments. 

SUMMARY: In accordance with the 

Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 

U.S.C. chapter 35), this notice 

announces the Agricultural Marketing 

Service’s (AMS) intention to request 

approval from the Office of Management 

and Budget for a new information 

collection: National Organic Program 

(NOP); NOP Import Certificate. 

DATES: Comments on this notice must be 

received by May 21, 2012 to be assured 

of consideration. 

ADDRESSES: Interested parties are 

invited to submit written comments 

concerning this notice. Comments may 

be sent to Meg Kuhn, Agricultural 

Marketing Specialist, National Organic 

Program, AMS/USDA, 1400 


tkelley on DSK3SPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 56 / Thursday, March 22, 2012 / Notices 16803 

1 Details including the scope, requirements and 

documentation for the EU–U.S. Organic 

Equivalency Arrangement are available on the NOP 

Web site at: http://www.ams.usda.gov/ 

NOPTradeEuropeanUnion. 

Independence Ave. SW., Room 2646– 

So., Ag Stop 0268, Washington, DC 

20250–0268, or by Internet: http:// 

www.regulations.gov. Written comments 

responding to this notice should be 

identified with the document number 

AMS–NOP–12–0011; NOP–12–05. It is 

USDA’s intention to have all comments 

concerning this notice, including names 

and addresses when provided, 

regardless of submission procedure 

used, available for viewing on the 

Regulations.gov Internet site (http:// 

www.regulations.gov). Comments 

submitted in response to this notice will 

also be available for viewing in person 

at USDA/AMS/National Organic 

Program, 1400 Independence Ave. SW., 

Room 2646–So., Ag Stop 0268, 

Washington, DC 20250 from 9 a.m. to 12 

noon and from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Monday 

through Friday (except official Federal 

holidays). Persons wanting to visit the 

USDA South Building to view 

comments received in response to this 

notice are requested to make an 

appointment in advance by calling (202) 

720–3252. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Cheri Courtney, Acting Director, 

Accreditation and International 

Activities Division, Telephone: (202) 

720–3252; Fax: (202) 205–7808. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Title: National Organic Program 

(NOP); NOP Import Certificate. 

OMB Number: 0581–NEW. 

Expiration Date of Approval: Three 

years from OMB approval date. 

Type of Request: New information 

collection. 

Abstract: The National Organic 

Program regulates the use of the term 

‘‘organic,’’ on agricultural products sold 

in the United States per 7 CFR part 205. 

On February 15, 2012, the U.S. 

Department of Agriculture (USDA) and 

the European Union Commission signed 

an organic equivalence arrangement.1

Beginning June 1, 2012, this partnership 

will allow organic products produced, 

processed or packaged in the United 

States (U.S.) or European Union (EU) to 

be sold as ‘‘organic’’ in both countries 

without additional certification. Leading 

up to the signing of the arrangement, 

USDA and EU officials conducted 

thorough on-site audits to ensure that 

their programs’ regulations, quality 

control measures, certification 

requirements, and labeling practices 

were compatible. USDA determined that 

EU organic products are produced and 

handled under an organic certification 

program that provides safeguards and 

guidelines that are at least equivalent to 

the requirements set forth in the Organic 

Foods Production Act of 1990 (7 U.S.C. 

6501–6522). 

Prior to June 1, 2012, EU organic 

producers and handlers wishing to 

export organic products to the U.S. must 

obtain certification by an NOPaccredited certifying agent. After the 

EU–U.S. Organic Equivalence 

Arrangement becomes effective on June 

1, 2012, these additional certification 

requirements are no longer necessary. 

Instead, the terms of the equivalency 

arrangement require that EU organic 

products be accompanied by an NOP 

Import Certificate. 

EU designated certification entities. 

Each EU Member State has designated a 

number of public authorities and/or 

approved private certification agencies 

to carry out organic certification under 

the EU organic standards. These EU 

designated certification entities operate 

under the supervision of the central 

competent authorities of the Member 

States. There are 205 EU designated 

certification entities operating in the 27 

EU Member States. 

NOP Import Certificate. An NOP 

Import Certificate issued by an EU 

designated certification entity must 

accompany each shipment of organic 

product from the EU to the U.S. This 

certificate documents that the organic 

products were certified under the EU 

organic regulations and met the terms of 

the equivalency arrangement for export 

to the U.S. The terms of the arrangement 

include: (1) Agricultural products 

derived from animals treated with 

antibiotics cannot be marketed as 

organic in the U.S.; (2) Aquatic animals 

(e.g., fish, shellfish) are not included 

within the scope of the arrangement; 

and (3) The arrangement is limited to 

organic products certified under the EU 

organic system and either grown in the 

EU, produced in the EU, or where the 

final processing or packaging occurs in 

the EU. Under the terms of the EU–U.S. 

Organic Equivalency Arrangement, we 

estimate that EU designated certification 

entities will issue 4,010 NOP Import 

Certificates annually or 20 NOP Import 

Certificates per entity. 

Estimate of Burden: Public reporting 

burden for this collection of information 

is estimated to average 0.25 hours per 

response. 

Respondents: EU Designated 

Certification Entities. 

Estimated Number of Respondents: 

205 respondents. 

Estimated Total Annual Responses: 

4,010 responses. 

Estimated Number of Responses per 

Respondent: 20 responses per 

respondent. 

Estimated Total Annual Burden on 

Respondents: 1,002.5 hours. 

Recordkeeping Burden 

Estimate of Burden: Public 

recordkeeping burden is estimated to be 

an annual total of approximately 0.33 

hours per respondent. 

Respondents: EU Designated 

Certification Entities. 

Estimated Number of Respondents: 

205. 

Estimated Number of Responses per 

Respondent: 20. 

Estimated Total Annual Burden on 

Respondents: 65.60 hours. 

Comments are invited on: (1) Whether 

the proposed collection of information 

is necessary for the proper performance 

of the functions of the agency, including 

whether the information will have 

practical utility; (2) the accuracy of the 

agency’s estimate of the burden of the 

proposed collection of information 

including the validity of the 

methodology and assumptions used; (3) 

ways to enhance the quality, utility, and 

clarity of the information to be 

collected; and (4) ways to minimize the 

burden of the collection of information 

on those who are to respond, including 

the use of appropriate automated, 

electronic, mechanical, or other 

technological collection techniques or 

other forms of information technology. 

Comments may be sent to Meg Kuhn, 

Agricultural Marketing Specialist, 

National Organic Program, AMS/USDA, 

1400 Independence Ave. SW., Room 

2646–So., Ag Stop 0268, Washington, 

DC 20250–0268, or by Internet: http:// 

www.regulations.gov. Written comments 

responding to this notice should be 

identified with the document number 

AMS–NOP–12–0011; NOP–12–05. All 

comments received will be available for 

public inspection during regular 

business hours at the same address. 

All responses to this notice will be 

summarized and included in the request 

for OMB approval. All comments will 

become a matter of public record. 

Authority: 7 U.S.C. 6501–6522. 

Dated: March 16, 2012. 

Ruihong Guo, 

Acting Administrator, Agricultural Marketing 

Service. 

[FR Doc. 2012–6906 Filed 3–21–12; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3410–02–P 


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