58038 Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 188 / Wednesday, September 27, 2000 / Notices

Terms will expire for the current

members of the Committee in December

2000. We are soliciting nominations

from interested organizations and

individuals to replace members on the

Committee. An organization may

nominate individuals from within or

outside its membership. The Secretary

will select members to obtain the

broadest possible representation on the

Committee, in accordance with the

Federal Advisory Committee Act (5

U.S.C. App.) and U.S. Department of

Agriculture (USDA) Regulation 1041–1.

Equal opportunity practices, in line

with USDA policies, will be followed in

all appointments to the Committee. To

ensure that the recommendations of the

Committee have taken into account the

needs of the diverse groups served by

the Department, membership should

include, to the extent practicable,

individuals with demonstrated ability to

represent minorities, women, and

persons with disabilities.

Done in Washington, DC, this 21st day of

September 2000.

Chester A. Gipson,

Acting Administrator, Animal and Plant

Health Inspection Service.

[FR Doc. 00–24840 Filed 9–26–00; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3410–34–M

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Animal and Plant Health Inspection

Service

[Docket No. 00–061–1]

International Sanitary and

Phytosanitary Standard-Setting

Activities

AGENCY: Animal and Plant Health

Inspection Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice and solicitation of

comments.

SUMMARY: In accordance with legislation

implementing the results of the Uruguay

Round of negotiations under the General

Agreement on Tariffs and Trade, we are

informing the public of international

standard-setting activities of the Office

International des Epizooties, the

Secretariat of the International Plant

Protection Convention, and the North

American Plant Protection Organization,

and we are soliciting public comment

on the standards to be considered.

ADDRESSES: Please send your comment

and three copies to: Docket No. 00–061–

1, Regulatory Analysis and

Development, PPD, APHIS, Suite 3C03,

4700 River Road, Unit 118, Riverdale,

MD 20737–1238.

Please state that your comment refers to

Docket No. 00–061–1.

You may read any comments that we

receive on this docket in our reading

room. The reading room is located in

room 1141 of the USDA South Building,

14th Street and Independence Avenue,

SW., Washington, DC. Normal reading

room hours are 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.,

Monday through Friday, except

holidays. To be sure someone is there to

help you, please call (202) 690–2817

before coming.

APHIS documents published in the

Federal Register, and related

information, including the names of

organizations and individuals who have

commented on APHIS dockets, are

available on the Internet at http://

www.aphis.usda.gov/ppd/rad/

webrepor.html.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr.

John Greifer, Director, Trade Support

Team, International Services, APHIS,

room 1132, South Building, 14th Street

and Independence Avenue, SW.,

Washington, DC 20250 (202) 720–7677.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

The World Trade Organization (WTO)

was established as the common

international institutional framework for

governing trade relations among its

members in matters related to the

Uruguay Round Agreements. The WTO

is the successor organization to the

General Agreement on Tariffs and

Trade. U.S. membership in the WTO

was approved by Congress when it

enacted the Uruguay Round Agreements

Act (Pub. L. 103–465), which was

signed into law by the President on

December 8, 1994. The WTO

Agreements, which established the

WTO, entered into force with respect to

the United States on January 1, 1995.

The Uruguay Round Agreements Act

amended title IV of the Trade

Agreements Act of 1979 (19 U.S.C. 2531

et seq.). Section 491 of the Trade

Agreement Act of 1979, as amended (19

U.S.C. 2578), requires the President to

designate an agency to be responsible

for informing the public of the sanitary

and phytosanitary (SPS) standardsetting activities of each international

standard-setting organization. The

designated agency must inform the

public by publishing an annual notice

in the Federal Register that provides the

following information: (1) The SPS

standards under consideration or

planned for consideration by the

international standard-setting

organization; and (2) for each SPS

standard specified, a description of the

consideration or planned consideration

of that standard, a statement of whether

the United States is participating or

plans to participate in the consideration

of that standard, the agenda for U.S.

participation, if any, and the agency

responsible for representing the United

States with respect to that standard.

‘‘International standard’’ is defined in

19 U.S.C. 2578b as any standard,

guideline, or recommendation: (1)

Adopted by the Codex Alimentarius

Commission (Codex) regarding food

safety; (2) developed under the auspices

of the Office International des

Epizooties (OIE) regarding animal health

and zoonoses; (3) developed under the

auspices of the Secretariat of the

International Plant Protection

Convention (IPPC) in cooperation with

the North American Plant Protection

Organization (NAPPO) regarding plant

health; or (4) established by or

developed under any other international

organization agreed to by the member

countries of the North American Free

Trade Agreement (NAFTA) or the

member countries of the WTO.

The President, pursuant to

Proclamation No. 6780 of March 23,

1995 (60 FR 15845), designated the

Secretary of Agriculture as the official

responsible for informing the public of

the SPS standard-setting activities of

Codex, OIE, IPPC, and NAPPO. This

responsibility was delegated to the

United States Department of

Agriculture’s (USDA’s) Food Safety and

Inspection Service (FSIS) for Codex

activities and Animal and Plant Health

Inspection Service (APHIS) for OIE,

IPPC, and NAPPO activities.

FSIS is responsible for publishing an

annual notice in the Federal Register to

inform the public of SPS standardsetting activities for Codex. Codex was

created in 1962 by two United Nations

organizations, the Food and Agriculture

Organization (FAO) and the World

Health Organization. It is the major

international organization for

encouraging international trade in food

and protecting the health and economic

interests of consumers.

APHIS is responsible for publishing

notice of OIE, IPPC, and NAPPO

activities related to international

standards and representing the United

States with respect to these standards.

Following are descriptions of the OIE,

IPPC, and NAPPO organizations and the

standard-setting agenda for each of these

institutions. Our intent is to describe the

agenda that each of these organizations

will address at their annual general

sessions, including standards that may

be presented for adoption or

consideration, as well as other

initiatives that may be underway at the

OIE, IPPC, and NAPPO.

OIE Standard-Setting Activities

The OIE was established in Paris,

France, in 1924 with the signing of an

Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 188 / Wednesday, September 27, 2000 / Notices 58039

international agreement by 28 countries.

It is currently composed of 155 member

nations, each of which is represented by

a delegate who, in most cases, is the

chief veterinary officer of that country.

The WTO has recognized the OIE as the

international forum for setting animal

health standards, reporting global

animal situations and disease status,

and presenting guidelines and

recommendations on sanitary measures

relating to animal health.

The OIE facilitates intergovernmental

cooperation to prevent the spread of

contagious diseases in animals through

the sharing of scientific research among

its members. The major functions of the

OIE are to collect and disseminate

information about distribution and

control of animal diseases and to ensure

that scientifically justified standards

govern international trade in animals

and animal products. The OIE aims to

achieve this through the development

and revision of international standards

for diagnostic tests, vaccines, and the

safe international trade of animals and

animal products.

The OIE provides annual reports on

the global distribution of animal

diseases, recognizes disease-free status

of member countries, categorizes animal

diseases with respect to their

international significance, publishes

bulletins on global disease status and

timely reviews of pertinent animal

health issues, and provides animal

disease control guidelines to member

countries.

Positions, policies, and standards

established by the OIE can be adopted

by consensus or by vote of the delegates

upon recommendations from various

commissions and working groups

within the OIE. These various

commissions and working groups

undertake the initial analysis and

preparation of draft standards. Drafts are

then circulated to member countries for

consultation (review and comment).

Draft standards are revised accordingly

and then presented to the OIE General

Session, which meets annually every

May, for review and adoption.

Adoption, as a general rule, is based on

consensus of the OIE membership.

The next OIE General Session is

scheduled for Paris, France, May 27–

June 1, 2001. The Deputy Administrator

for APHIS’ Veterinary Services is the

U.S. delegate to the OIE. The Deputy

Administrator intends to participate in

the proceedings and will discuss or

comment on APHIS’s position on any

standard up for adoption in the event

that there is no consensus on whether

to adopt that standard. The agenda for

the General Session is expected to

include the following items:

Code Chapters up for Adoption or

Consideration

Revisions to the following chapters of

the OIE Animal Health Code are

expected to be presented for adoption at

the next General Session.

• Scrapie: Revisions to the OIE Code,

chapter 3.3.8.

• Classical swine fever: An ad hoc

group will examine possible revisions to

the OIE Code, chapter 2.1.13.

• Newcastle disease: An ad hoc group

will be formed to examine possible

revisions to the OIE Code, chapter

2.1.15.

• Diseases of bees: Revisions to the

OIE Code, chapter 3.8.1–3.8.5.

• Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy

(BSE): Continued revisions to OIE Code,

chapter 3.2.13.

• Bluetongue: Revisions to the OIE

Code, chapter 2.1.9.

• Paratuberculosis: The OIE Code,

chapter 3.1.6, will be further updated

and reviewed.

These chapters are being drafted by

working groups that are composed of

technical experts nominated by the OIE

Code Commission by virtue of their

subject-area expertise. During the initial

drafting phase, countries and, by

extension, the public, do not have the

opportunity to review and comment on

the standards being developed.

Countries have the opportunity to

comment on standards when the OIE

makes draft chapters available for

country consultation, probably

sometime in October or November 2000.

After the country consultation phase,

countries’ comments are considered by

the working groups and the Code

Commission. If a country has concerns

with a particular draft standard, the

Commission may revise that standard

accordingly and present the revision for

adoption at the General Session in May.

In the event that a country’s concerns

regarding a draft standard are not taken

into account, that country may refuse to

support the standard when it comes up

for adoption at the General Session.

However, each member country is

obligated to make science-based

decisions when considering standards

up for adoption at the General Session.

The above draft standards will not be

made available to the United States for

country consultation until October or

November, 2000. The U.S. positions on

those standards will not be adopted

until after the draft standards are made

available to us. Additional information

can be obtained at that time by

contacting Dr. Michael David, VS,

APHIS, 4700 River Road Unit 38,

Riverdale, MD 20737–1231; (301) 734–

3577; or e-mail:

michael.j.david@usda.gov.

Current Work Program

If the Code Commission determines

that a new standard or a revision of an

existing standard is required, the

Commission forms a working group of

persons with expertise in the area of the

standard being considered. It is the

working group’s responsibility to draft

or revise the standards and report their

progress to the General Session. At

present, there is one group working on

each of the standards mentioned above.

Two other ongoing working groups

within the OIE, Wildlife Diseases and

Informatics and Epidemiology, are

charged with providing other working

groups and commissions with technical

information and advice related to

wildlife and livestock diseases,

including disease surveillance and risk

analysis.

An ongoing ad-hoc group on antimicrobial resistence is charged with

looking at issues such as the prudent

use of antibiotics in livestock

production, monitoring the quantities of

antibiotics used in veterinary medicine,

and the standardization of laboratory

procedures and the harmonization of

national systems for the surveillance of

microbial resistance in animals and in

foods of animal origin. The group is

developing consensus documents on

these issues that will be distributed to

all member countries for consideration.

For current information on any of

these working groups, (including

meeting times and agendas) contact Dr.

Michael David at the address listed

above under the heading ‘‘Code

Chapters up for Adoption or

Consideration.’’

Other OIE Topics

Two other major topics will be

addressed at the May 2001 General

Session. However, additional standards

for these topics are not expected to be

developed and presented for adoption at

the General Session:

• The importance of animal diseases

in public health, animal health, and

trade.

• The role of communication

management in supporting veterinary

services.

The information in this notice

includes all the information currently

available to us on OIE standards

currently under development or

consideration. Information on OIE

standards is available on the OIE web

page at http://www.oie.int. Further, a

formal agenda for the next General

Session will be available to member

countries in January or February of

2001, and copies will be available to the

public once the agenda is published. For

58040 Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 188 / Wednesday, September 27, 2000 / Notices

current information on meeting times,

working groups, and/or meeting

agendas, or for information on official

U.S. participation in OIE activities,

including U.S. positions on standards

being considered, contact Dr. Michael

David at the address listed above under

the heading ‘‘Code Chapters up for

Adoption or Consideration.’’

IPPC Standard-Setting Activities

The IPPC is a multilateral convention

adopted in 1952 for the purpose of

securing common and effective action to

prevent the spread and introduction of

pests of plants and plant products and

to promote appropriate measures for

their control. Under the IPPC, the

understanding of plant protection has

been, and continues to be, broad,

encompassing the protection of both

cultivated and noncultivated plants

from direct or indirect injury by plant

pests. Activities addressed by the IPPC

include the development and

establishment of international plant

health standards, the harmonization of

phytosanitary activities through

emerging standards, the facilitation of

the exchange of official and scientific

information among countries, and the

furnishing of technical assistance to

developing countries that are signatories

to the IPPC.

The IPPC is placed under the

authority of the FAO, and the members

of the Secretariat of the IPPC are

appointed by the FAO. The IPPC is

implemented by national plant

protection organizations in cooperation

with regional plant protection

organizations, the Interim Commission

on Phytosanitary Measures (ICPM), and

the Secretariat of the IPPC. The United

States plays a major role in all standardsetting activities under the IPPC and has

representation on FAO’s highest

governing body, the FAO Conference.

The United States became a

contracting party to the IPPC in 1972

and has been actively involved in

furthering the work of the IPPC ever

since. The IPPC was amended in 1979,

and the amended version entered into

force in 1991 after two-thirds of the

contracting countries accepted the

amendment. More recently, in 1997,

contracting parties completed

negotiations on further amendments

that were approved by the FAO

Conference and submitted to the parties

for acceptance. This 1997 amendment

updated phytosanitary concepts and

formalized the standard-setting

structure within the IPPC. The 1997

amended version of the IPPC will enter

into force once two-thirds of the current

contracting parties notify the Director

General of FAO of their acceptance of

the amendment.

The IPPC has been, and continues to

be, administered at the national level by

plant quarantine officials whose

primary objective is to safeguard plant

resources from injurious pests. In the

United States, the national plant

protection organization is APHIS’ Plant

Protection and Quarantine (PPQ) unit.

The steps for developing a standard

under the revised IPPC are described

below.

Step 1

Proposals for a new international

standard for phytosanitary measures

(ISPM) or for the review or revision of

an existing ISPM are submitted to the

Secretariat in the form of a discussion

paper accompanied by a topic or draft

standard. Drafts can be submitted by

individual countries, but are more

commonly submitted by regional plant

protection organizations (RPPO’s).

Alternately, the Secretariat can propose

a new standard or amendments to

existing standards.

Step 2

A summary of proposals is submitted

by the Secretariat to the ICPM. The

ICPM identifies the topics and priorities

for standard setting from among the

proposals submitted to the Secretariat

and others that may be raised by the

ICPM.

Step 3

Specifications for the standards

identified as priorities by the ICPM are

drafted by the Secretariat. The draft

specifications are submitted to the

Standards Committee for approval/

amendment and are subsequently made

available to members and RPPO’s for

comment (60 days). Comment is by

written submission to the Secretariat.

Taking into account the comments, the

Standards Committee finalizes the

specifications.

Step 4

The standard is drafted or revised by

a working group designated by the

Standards Committee and in accordance

with the specifications. The resulting

draft standard is submitted to the

Standards Committee for review.

Step 5

Draft standards approved by the

Standards Committee are distributed to

members by the Secretariat and RPPO’s

for consultation (120 days). Comment is

by written submission to the Secretariat.

Where appropriate, the Standards

Committee may establish open-ended

discussion groups as fora for further

comment. The Secretariat summarizes

the comments and submits them to the

Standards Committee.

Step 6

Taking into account the comments,

the Secretariat, in cooperation with the

Standards Committee, revises the draft

standard. The Standards Committee

submits the final version to the ICPM for

adoption.

Step 7

The ISPM is established through

formal adoption by the ICPM according

to Rule X of the Rules of Procedure of

the ICPM.

Step 8

The ISPM is reviewed by the specified

date or such other date as may be agreed

upon by the ICPM.

Each member country is represented

on ICPM by a single delegate. Although

experts and advisers may accompany

the delegate to meetings of the ICPM,

only the delegate or an authorized

alternate may represent the United

States in considering a standard up for

approval. Parties involved in a vote by

the ICPM are to make every effort to

reach agreement on all matters by

consensus. Only after all efforts to reach

a consensus have been exhausted may a

decision on a standard be passed by a

vote of two-thirds of delegates present

and voting.

Technical experts from the United

States have participated directly in

working groups and indirectly as

reviewers of all IPPC draft standards. In

addition, documents and positions

developed by APHIS and NAPPO have

served as the basis for many of the

standards adopted to date. This notice

describes each of the IPPC standards

currently under consideration or up for

adoption. Access to the full text of each

standard will be available electronically

on the APHIS Internet web page at http:/

/aphis.usda.gov/ppq/standards.

Interested individuals may review and

provide comments on the standards

found on this web page.

The next ICPM meeting is scheduled

for April 2–6, 2001. The Deputy

Administrator for APHIS’ Plant

Protection and Quarantine is the U.S.

delegate to the ICPM. The Deputy

Administrator intends to participate in

the proceedings and will discuss or

comment on APHIS’s position on any

standard up for adoption in the event

that there is no consensus on whether

to adopt that standard. The provisional

agenda for the meeting is as follows:

Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 188 / Wednesday, September 27, 2000 / Notices 58041

1Standards that may be up for adoption at the

April 2001 general session are listed below under

the heading ‘‘Interim Standards Committee’’.

Provisional Agenda for the Third

Interim Commission on Phytosanitary

Measures

1. Opening of the session

2. Report by the chairperson

3. Adoption of the agenda

4. Standard setting priorities

5. Adoption of international standards 1

6. Items arising from the second meeting

of the ICPM

6.1 Formation of a standards

committee

6.2 Dispute settlement procedures

6.3 Information exchange

6.4 Genetically modified organisms

(GMO’s), biosafety and invasive

species

6.5 Official control

7. Report from the technical

consultation among RPPO’s

7.1 Recognition of RPPO’s

8. Work program for harmonization

8.1 Standard setting

8.2 Information exchange

8.3 Technical assistance

9. Strategic planning

10. Status of the IPPC

10.1 Acceptance of the new revised

text

10.2 Interim standards

11. Other business

11.1 Reporting of noncompliance with

phytosanitary measures

12. Date and venue of the next meeting

13. Election of the bureau

14. Adoption of the report

The agenda is also expected to include

reports from various working groups, as

described below.

Working Group on Notification and

Noncompliance: Under the Convention,

members have an obligation to notify

incidents involving noncompliance of

imported shipments (e.g., certification

deficiencies or pest interceptions) to the

member concerned. This working group,

which met in December 1999, drafted a

standard for such notifications among

members.

Working Group on Pest Listing: The

IPPC requires contracting parties to

establish and update lists of regulated

pests for phytosanitary certification

purposes. Guidelines were developed

for meeting these obligations at a

working group meeting, by describing

lists of regulated pests, their purpose,

and their relationship to phytosanitary

procedures. APHIS participated in the

working group meeting, which met in

January 2000.

Working Group on Strategic Planning

and Technical Assistance: This working

group, which met in early March 2000,

began the process of drafting a strategic

plan for review and comment by ICPM

members. The working group’s goal is to

develop a strategic plan that will help

clarify the ICPM’s basic functions and

ensure that the annual work program,

Secretariat’s activities, and financial

investments are focused on achieving

the IPPC’s most important objectives.

The working group is also charged with

addressing the ICPM’s role in technical

assistance. This working group will

meet again in October 2000 to finalize

the strategic plan.

Working Group on Official Control:

The purpose of this working group,

which met in March 2000, was to arrive

at a more exact definition of what

constitutes ‘‘officially controlled’’ in the

IPPC’s definition of ‘‘quarantine pest.’’

Ambiguities in the current definition

allow countries to impose phytosanitary

measures on pests that may already

exist within their territory, but are not

under internal regulatory controls. This

has raised concerns about the use of

unjustified or discriminatory treatments

or requirements on imports. The

working group developed a clarified

definition and set of guidelines to

ensure a harmonized understanding and

application of the concept of ‘‘official

control.’’

Working Group on Standards

Committee: This working group, which

met the week of April 10, 2000, will

develop recommendations on the future

structure and composition for the

Standards Committee. The Standards

Committee is called the Interim

Standards Committee until some basic

structural changes are adopted by the

ICPM. The working group considered a

structure that is limited in size to ensure

high productivity, emphasizes scientific

expertise on the Committee rather than

geographical representation, and allows

for adequate participation of experts

from developing countries.

Working Group on Dispute

Settlement: This working group met the

week of May 9, 2000, to finalize rules

and procedures for utilizing dispute

settlement described in the IPPC. These

procedures, contained in Article XIII of

the Convention, are not legally binding.

However, members agree that such

provisions, if available, may help reduce

or avoid formal, legalistic, and costly

disputes in the WTO.

Interim Standards Committee: The

Interim Standards Committee, which

met the week of May 15, 2000, to review

and redraft, as appropriate, draft

standards that will be considered for

adoption in 2001. This Committee will

meet again in November 2000 to

possibly finalize these draft standards

for submission to and adoption by the

ICPM in April 2001. Among the drafts

to be reviewed are standards on

‘‘Guidelines for Notification of

Interceptions and Noncompliance,’’

‘‘Guidelines for the Preparation of

Regulated Pest Lists,’’ ‘‘Guidelines on

Official Control,’’ ‘‘Revised Pest Risk

Analysis Standard,’’ and ‘‘Guidelines for

the Preparation of Phytosanitary

Certificates.’’ The committee will also

review revisions to the ‘‘Glossary of

Phytosanitary Terms.’’

Working Group on Wood Packing

Material: Consensus was reached at the

ICPM meeting in October 1999 on

prioritizing the development of a

standard on wood packing material.

This issue was considered of high

importance to all members that have

experienced a growing increase in pest

interceptions associated with wood

packing materials. The working group,

which met the week of June 6, 2000,

drafted a global standard based on the

existing regional standard developed by

NAPPO.

Working Group on GMOs and

Invasive Species: This working group

met the week of June 13, 2000, to

identify the phytosanitary aspects of

GMO’s and to consider the necessity of

developing international phytosanitary

standards in this area. The working

group was charged with: Developing a

statement on the role of the IPPC in

assessing the plant pest risk of GMO’s

and the relationship between invasive

species and plant quarantine pests

(pests of primary concern under the

IPPC); identifying the roles and

responsibilities of other relevant bodies

and any potential overlaps with the role

of the IPPC; considering the necessity of

developing international standards

under the IPPC; identifying the need for

capacity building in developing

countries to fulfill their identified role

under the IPPC; and developing a draft

communication strategy to promote and

clarify the role of the IPPC in this area.

These points were all addressed at the

meeting.

Working Group on Regulated

Nonquarantine Pests: The new revised

Convention broadened the scope of

regulated pests to include regulated

nonquarantine pests that are associated

with propagative materials. These pests

are regulated due to their economic

impact. The working group, which met

the week of July 3, 2000, considered the

development of a standard to guide the

application of phytosanitary measures

for this new category of pests.

Working Group on Systems

Approaches for Pest Management:

Given the eventual loss of methyl

bromide as a quarantine tool, many

countries are relying increasingly on

new approaches for reducing pest risks

58042 Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 188 / Wednesday, September 27, 2000 / Notices

and meeting foreign import

requirements. Systems approaches have

emerged as an increasingly popular way

to certify commodities for export. A

working group, which met the week of

July 24, 2000, considered the

development of a standard to harmonize

the approach used by countries in

establishing systems approaches for

export purposes.

Working Group on Pest Reporting:

Under the IPPC, members have an

obligation to report pest outbreaks or

incidents that may be of potential

danger to other members. This working

group, which met the week of

September 12, 2000, is expected to

develop a standard format for such

reporting between members.

Status of Newly Revised Text of IPPC

The newly revised Convention

(amended in 1997) will come into force

once two-thirds of the contracting

parties deposit their formal letters of

acceptance with the Director General of

FAO. With regard to U.S. action on this

matter, on March 23, 2000, the President

formally transmitted the Revised Text of

the Convention to the Senate

recommending review and consent of

this amended Convention. Formal U.S.

acceptance of the revised Convention

(i.e., official U.S. letter of acceptance

deposited with FAO) will occur once

the Senate completes its review and

consent procedure.

IPPC Standards Up for Adoption in

2001

It is anticipated that five Standards

will be considered by the ICPM for

adoption at its April 2001 meeting. The

United States, represented by APHIS,

will participate in the consideration of

these standards. They include:

1. Revised Pest Risk Analysis

Standard: This standard, adopted in

1995, provides guidelines for

conducting pest risk analyses (PRA) for

quarantine pests. The newly revised

Convention clarifies a number of terms

and concepts related to PRA.

Consequently, the existing PRA

standard was updated to reflect these

changes.

2. Guidelines for the Preparation of

Phytosanitary Certificates: This

standard will guide members in the

preparation of phytosanitary certificates.

These certificates, based on a

standardized format, accompany plant

commodities and attest that a given

shipment has been inspected and is

found to be free of quarantine pests and

in compliance with the importing

member’s phytosanitary requirements.

3. Guidelines for the Preparation of

Pest Lists: Under the IPPC, members are

required to establish and keep up-todate lists of regulated pests within their

territory. The purpose is to keep other

members informed of which pests are

subject to phytosanitary requirements,

thereby facilitating the phytosanitary

certification of exports. This standard

will guide members in the development

and use of pest lists.

4. Guidelines for Defining ‘‘Official

Control’’: Under the IPPC, the definition

of a quarantine pest is a ‘‘pest of

potential economic importance to the

area endangered thereby and not yet

present there, or present but not widely

distributed and being officially

controlled.’’ The term ‘‘officially

controlled’’ has been part of the IPPC

definition of ‘‘quarantine pest’’ for many

years, but never defined. As a result,

members have had different

interpretations for the term, especially

as it relates to pests occurring within

their territory. Ambiguities in the

meaning of ‘‘official control’’ have

allowed countries to impose

phytosanitary measures on pests that

may already exist within their territory

and are not under internal regulatory

controls. This has raised concerns of

unjustified and/or discriminatory

treatments or requirements imposed on

imports. This standard will provide

guidelines to ensure a harmonized

understanding and application of the

concept of ‘‘official control.’’

5. Guidelines for Reporting

Interception and Noncompliance: Under

the Convention, members are obligated

to notify exporting members of

incidents of noncompliance of imported

shipments (e.g., phytosanitary

certification deficiencies, pest

interceptions) associated with their

export shipments. These guidelines will

clarify the procedures by which

members inform each other of pest

interceptions, certification issues, or

other irregularities related to imported

commodities or shipments.

At this time, it appears likely that

only the above standards will be

presented for adoption at the next ICPM

meeting in April 2001. The United

States intends to support adoption of

the draft standards at the ICPM meeting.

APHIS posts draft standards on its

web page (http://www.aphis.usda.gov/

ppq/standards) as they become available

to us. The web page also provides

information on when comments on

standards are due. Additional

information on IPPC standards is

available on the FAO web page at http:/

/www.ippc.int. For information on

official U.S. participation in IPPC

activities, including U.S. positions on

standards being considered, contact

Narcy Klag, Coordinator for

International Phytosanitary Standards,

PPQ, APHIS, USDA, 4700 River Road,

Unit 140, Riverdale, MD 20737; e-mail:

narcy.g.klag@usda.gov.

NAPPO Standard-Setting Activities

NAPPO, a regional plant protection

organization created in 1976 under the

IPPC, coordinates the efforts among

Canada, the United States, and Mexico

to protect their plant resources from the

entry, establishment, and spread of

harmful plant pests, while facilitating

intra-and inter-regional trade.

NAPPO conducts its business through

panels and annual meetings held among

the three member countries. The

NAPPO Executive Committee charges

individual panels with the

responsibility for drawing up proposals

for NAPPO positions, policies, and

standards. These panels are made up of

representatives from each member

country who have scientific expertise

related to the policy or standard being

considered.

Proposals drawn up by the individual

panels are circulated for review to

government and industry officials in

Canada, Mexico, and the United States,

who may suggest revisions. In the

United States, draft standards are

circulated to industry, States, and

various government agencies for

consideration and comment. The draft

standards are posted on the Internet at:

http://www.aphis.usda.gov/ppq/

standards. Interested persons may

submit comments via this web page.

Once revisions are made, the proposal is

sent to the NAPPO working group and

the NAPPO standards panel for

technical reviews and then to the

Executive Committee for final approval,

which is granted by consensus.

The annual NAPPO meeting is

scheduled for October 17–18, 2000, in

San Diego, CA. The Executive

Committee meeting will take place on

October 15, and a special session will be

held on October 16, where industry

groups can bring issues to the attention

of the Executive Committee. The Deputy

Administrator for APHIS’ Plant

Protection and Quarantine is the U.S.

member of the Executive Committee.

The Deputy Administrator intends to

participate in the proceedings and will

discuss or comment on APHIS’s

position on any standard up for

adoption in the event that there is no

consensus on whether to adopt that

standard. The agenda for the meeting

will include the following items related

to standard setting:

Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 188 / Wednesday, September 27, 2000 / Notices 58043

Standards up for Adoption or

Consideration:

• Guidelines for Preclearance

Programs: This standard revises the

current standard to include, among

other things, procedures for phasing out

preclearance programs. The United

States intends to support adoption of

the draft standard at the NAPPO

meeting in October.

Updates on NAPPO Panel Activities

Working panels will report their

progress to the Executive Committee.

Information on panel assignments,

updates on activities, and updates on

meeting times and locations can be

obtained from the NAPPO home page at

http://www.nappo.org or by contacting

Narcy Klag, Coordinator for

International Phytosanitary Standards,

PPQ, APHIS, USDA, 4700 River Road,

Unit 140, Riverdale, MD 20737; e-mail:

narcy.g.klag@usda.gov.

The following is a summary of current

panel charges as they relate to the

ongoing development of standards:

Accreditation Panel (Laboratory

Accreditation)

• Develop a form for commodityspecific panels to use to develop an

inventory of laboratory tests, analyses,

and identification done in support of

plant health regulatory activities.

Accreditation Panel (Inspector

Accreditation)

• Work towards implementing the

conditions of this standard by April 1,

2001. Written progress report to be

given to the Executive Committee at its

meeting on October 15, 2000.

Biological Control Panel

• Finalize the standard, ‘‘Guidelines

for Petition for Import and Release of

Nonnative Entomophagous Agents for

the Biological Control of Pests.’’ This

has gone through the country

consultation phase, and comments are

now being reviewed and incorporated

where appropriate. A procedure to

conduct post-release monitoring for

biological control agents is also being

developed.

Biotechnology Panel

• Develop a NAPPO standard for the

review of products of biotechnology that

focuses on the assessment of the

potential to present a plant pest risk.

Citrus Panel

• Continue development of a NAPPO

citrus standard.

Forestry Panel

• Track the implementation of the

standard on wood packing material

within the three countries so that

implementation takes places at or near

the same time.

Fruit Fly Panel

• Complete the standard on

‘‘Verification and Maintenance of Fruit

Fly-Free Areas.’’

Fruit Tree Panel

• Develop standardized diagnostic

tests to be used when certifying fruit

tree nursery stock.

Grain Panel

• Develop standardized diagnostic

tests to be used when certifying grain

shipments.

Grapevine Panel

• Develop standardized diagnostic

tests to be used when certifying

grapevine shipments.

Pest Risk Analysis Panel

• Act as focal point to advise on the

revisions to the international standard

for PRA. Collaborate with the Potato

Panel in the development of a PRA to

support implementation of the NAPPO

standard, ‘‘Requirements for the

Importation of Potatoes into a NAPPO

Member Country.’’

Seeds Panel

• Prepare a proposal to the IPPC to

endorse the seed testing methods of the

International Seed Testing Association

(ISTA).

Standards Panel

• Provide updates on standards in the

NAPPO newsletter.

• Review standards presented to the

Executive Committee prior to country

consultation.

• Incorporate comments received

from country consultation if

appropriate.

• Coordinate responses to the North

American members on the IPPC

Standards Committee on draft

international standards.

The information in this notice

includes all the information available to

us on NAPPO standards currently under

development or consideration. For

updates on meeting times and for

information on the working panels that

becomes available following publication

of this notice, check the NAPPO web

page at http://www.nappo.org or contact

Narcy Klag, Coordinator for

International Phytosanitary Standards,

PPQ, APHIS, USDA, 4700 River Road,

Unit 140, Riverdale, MD 20737; e-mail:

narcy.g.klag@usda.gov. For information

on official U.S. participation in NAPPO

activities, including U.S. positions on

standards being considered, contact Mr.

Narcy Klag at the above address.

Done in Washington, DC, this 21st day of

September 2000.

Chester A. Gipson,

Acting Administrator, Animal and Plant

Health Inspection Service.

[FR Doc. 00–24841 Filed 9–26–00; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3410–34–P

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

Submission for OMB Review;

Comment Request;

The Department of Commerce (DOC)

has submitted to the Office of

Management and Budget (OMB) for

clearance the following proposal for

collection of information under

provisions of the Paperwork Reduction

Act (44 U.S.C. Chapter 35).

Agency: Bureau of Export

Administration (BXA).

Title: Defense Priorities and

Allocation System.

Agency Form Number: N/A.

OMB Approval Number: 0694–0053.

Type of Request: Renewal of an

existing collection of information.

Burden: 14,477 hours.

Average Time Per Response: 14

seconds per response.

Number of Respondents: 707,000

respondents.

Needs and Uses: The record keeping

requirement is necessary for

administration and enforcement of

delegated authority under the Defense

Production Act of 1950, as amended (50

U.S.C. App. 2061, et seq.) and the

Selective Service Act of 1948 (50 U.S.C.

App. 468). Any person who receives a

priority rated order under the

implementing DPAS regulation (15 CFR

700) must retain records for at least 3

years.

Affected Public: Individuals,

businesses or other for-profit

institutions.

Respondent’s Obligation: Mandatory.

OMB Desk Officer: David Rostker.

Copies of the above information

collection proposal can be obtained by

calling or writing Madeleine Clayton,

Departmental Forms Clearance Officer,

Office of the Chief Information Officer,

(202) 482–3129, Department of

Commerce, Room 6086, 14th and

Constitution Avenue, NW, Washington,

D.C. 20230, or via Internet at

MClayton@doc.gov.

Written comments and

recommendations for the proposed

information collection should be sent