59818 Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 195 / Friday, October 6, 2000 / Notices

Frequency of Responses: Reporting:

On occasion.

Total Burden Hours: 1,078.

• Agricultural Marketing Service

Title: Vegetable and Specialty Crops.

OMB Control Number: 0581–0178.

Summary of Collection: The

Agricultural Marketing Agreement Act

of 1937 was designed to permit

regulation of certain agricultural

commodities for the purpose of

providing orderly marketing conditions

in inter and intrastate commerce and

improving returns to growers. The Order

and agreements are administered by

committees/board comprised of

producers/growers, handlers and in

some cases, a member representing the

public. The marketing order programs

provide an opportunity for producers of

fresh fruit, vegetables, and specialty

crops, in specified production areas to

work together to solve marketing

problems that cannot be solved

individually.

Need and Use of the Information:

Various forms are used to collect

information necessary to effectively

carry out the requirements of the Act

and the Order/Agreement. Information

collected is used to formulate market

policy, track current inventory and

statistical data for market development

programs, ensure compliance, and

verify eligibility, monitor and record

grower’s information. The Committees/

Boards periodically review the forms to

avoid unnecessary duplication by

industry and public sector agencies. If

information were not collected, it would

eliminate data needed to keep the

industry and the Secretary abreast of

changes at the State and local level.

Description of Respondents: Business

or other for profit; Farms; Federal

Government; Individuals or households;

Not-for-profit institutions.

Number of Respondents: 17,463.

Frequency of Responses: Reporting:

On occasion, Quarterly, Biennially,

Weekly, Semi-annually, Monthly,

Annually and Recordkeeping.

Total Burden Hours: 9,102.

• National Agricultural Statistics

Service

Title: Nursery and Greenhouse

Production Survey and Nursery and

Floriculture Chemical Use Survey.

OMB Control Number: 0535–NEW.

Summary of Collection: In February

1997, the Secretary of Agriculture

issued the report of the Civil Rights

Action Team entitled ‘‘Civil Rights at

the Department of Agriculture.’’ Civil

Rights teams were formed to implement

the report recommendations. One of the

recommendations that was a direct

outcome of the evaluation was the

condition of farm workers. The team

recognized the need for reliable

pesticide use information about

enterprises that involve farm workers

and requested that the National

Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS)

obtain pesticide use information for

commodities which require intensive

farm labor. Congress appropriated funds

for the collection of pesticide use data

on nursery and flouriculture operations.

NASS will incorporate biennial nursery

production statistics into the NASS

estimating program to measure the

nursery industry’s growing significance

to the agriculture economy and also

provide a link to the collection of

chemical use data. The data will be

collected under the authority of 7 U.S.C.

2204(a). NASS will collect information

using surveys.

Need and Use of the Information:

NASS will collect information to assess

the environmental and economic impact

of various programs, policies, and

procedures on nursery and flouriculture

operators and their workers. The basic

chemical use and farm practices

information will be used to enhance the

national chemical use database

maintained by NASS. The information

will also aid in determining the needs

of growers, such as appropriation of

research funds to target pests and

diseases.

Description of Respondents: Farms;

Business or other for-profit.

Number of Respondents: 9,834.

Frequency of Responses: Reporting:

Biennially.

Total Burden Hours: 5,098.

Nancy B. Sternberg,

Departmental Clearance Officer.

[FR Doc. 00–25727 Filed 10–5–00; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3410–01–M

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Foreign Agricultural Service

Notice of Public Meeting on U.S.

Participation in the 17th Annual

Meeting of the International

Consultative Group on Food Irradiation

AGENCY: Foreign Agricultural Service,

USDA.

ACTION: Notice of meeting.

SUMMARY: FAS is informing the public

of a meeting to be held Friday, October

20, 2000, 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 17th annual meeting of the

International Consultative Group on

Food Irradiation (ICGFI), November 1–3,

2000, in Geneva, Switzerland, including

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

Friday, October 20, 2000, 9 a.m. to 11

a.m., Washington, DC in the back of the

cafeteria, South Building. Written

comments should be submitted by

October 17, 2000. All visitors should

enter at Wing 2 on the C Street side of

the South Building.

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

support ICGFI financially?

Should United States government

funding for ICGFI continue at the

same level, increase, or decrease?

Should contributions continue to come

only from the Government, or should

industry contribute as well (or in

place of the Government)?

Should the proposed ‘‘Programme of

Work and Budget for 2001’’ be

approved?

Programme of work

Estimated

budget

(US$)

1. International Trade

(a) Food Irradiation Process Control School (FIPCOS) for Food

Inspectors ..................................... 25,000

Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 195 / Friday, October 6, 2000 / Notices 59819

Programme of work

Estimated

budget

(US$)

(b) Workshop on Food Safety/

Trade in Irradiated Food With

the SU .......................................... 10,000

(c) Workshop on Certification of

Food Irradiation Process in Latin

America ........................................ 25,000

(d) Establishing an Irradiation Promotion Council E-Commerce to

Facilitate Trade in Irradiated

Food ............................................. 15,000

2. Codification

(a) Amendments to Codex General

Standard for Irradiated Foods

and Its Code of Practice (through

the Codex Committee on Food

Additives and Contaminants) ..... 5,000

(b) Amendment to the Labeling

Provisions on Irradiated Foods

(through the Codex Committee

on Food Labelling) ...................... 5,000

(c) Publication of Revised Code of

Good Irradiation Practice ............ in-kind

3. Information Transfer

(a) Publication of Brochure on Application of ‘‘High-Dose Irradiation of Food’’ ............................... in-kind

(b) ICGFI/IUFoST Symposium on

Food Irradiation ........................... 10,000

(c) Preparation of Education Materials on Food Irradiation ............. 5,000

(d) Publication of Brochure on ‘‘Irradiation Food Safety’’ ................ in-kind

4. Database

(a) Maintain database on list of

clearance of irradiated food ........ no-cost

(b) Update current databases: national regulations, authorized

food irradiation facilities, authorized packaging, materials,

etc. ................................................ no-cost

5. Administration

(a) One professional staff (parttime) ............................................. 45,000

(b) One support staff (full time) ..... 60,000

(c) Travel ......................................... 10,000

(d) Miscellaneous (telephone, shipping, etc.) ..................................... 5,000

Total (cash) ............................... 220,000

What is the appropriate role for

industry and consumer groups?

Should industry participate as

delegates?

Are there any other topics we think

ICGFI should address?

Background Information on ICGFI

What Is ICGFI?

An independent body composed of

government-designat 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?

For the past 2 years, various

Departments and Agencies have

together contributed $20,000 to ICGFI

each year.

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 coordinated by a Management Committee

and will be refocused, putting emphasis

on international trade, information

exchange, high dose irrigation and

seminars/training.

What Kind of Training is ICGF Involved

With?

One 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 reviewed

achievements on food irradiation during

the 20th century and examine the rule

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 foods 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.

Another example is the Trade

Opportunities for Irradiated Food in

Hawaii; 22–24 May 2000 to inform

representatives of the food industry and

trade in Asia and the Pacific and the

USA of the role of irradiation as a

sanitary and phytosanitary treatment in

order to expedite international trade in

food and agricultural commodities.

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,

59820 Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 195 / Friday, October 6, 2000 / Notices

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 nongovernmental 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 U.S. Department of Agriculture,

1400 Independence Ave., SW.,

Washington, DC, back of the cafeteria,

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 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, Stop Code 1027, Room 5545,

South Building, 1400 Independence

Avenue, SW., Washington, DC 20250.

If the submission contains business

confidential information, five copies of

a non-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 does 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: October 2, 2000.

Timothy J. Galvin,

Administrator, Foreign Agricultural Service.

[FR Doc. 00–25726 Filed 10–5–00; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3410–10–M

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Forest Service

California Coast Provincial Advisory

Committee (PAC)

AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice of meeting.

SUMMARY: The California Coast

Provincial Advisory Committee (PAC)

will meet on October 25 and 26, 2000,

at the Best Western El Grande Banquet

Room in Clearlake, California. The

meeting will be held from 1 p.m. until

5 p.m. on Wednesday, October 25, and

from 8 a.m. to 3:15 p.m. on Thursday,

October 26. The Best Western El Grande

is located at 15135 Lakeshore Drive in

Clearlake.

Agenda items to be covered include:

(1) Panel on State and Federal

Watershed Analyses/restoration

programs; (2) Panel discussion on the

issue of restoring native fish

populations and their habitat on federal

lands in the Province; (3) Presentation

on demographics of northern spotted

owls in Marin County; (4) Regional

Ecosystem Office (REO) update; (5)

Videotape presentation of Redwood

National Park road program; (6) Megram

Fire Update; (7) IAC/PAC/REIC

communication; (8) Draft action plan for

the Province comprehensive road work/

fisheries and watershed restoration

plan; and (9) open public comment. All

California Coast Provincial Advisory

Committee meetings are open to the

public. Interested citizens are

encouraged to attend.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Direct questions regarding this meeting

to James Fenwood, Forest Supervisor, or

Phebe Brown, Province Coordinator,

USDA, Mendocino National Forest, 825

N. Humboldt Avenue, Willows, CA

95988; (530) 934–3316.

Dated: September 19, 2000.

James D. Fenwood,

Forest Supervisor.

[FR Doc. 00–25711 Filed 10–5–00; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3410–11–M

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Forest Service

Lake Tahoe Basin Federal Advisory

Committee; Meeting

AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice of meeting.

SUMMARY: The Lake Tahoe Basin Federal

Advisory Committee will hold a

meeting October 17, 2000, at the Tahoe

City Public Utility District Board Room,

221 Fairway Drive, Tahoe City,

California 96145. This committee,

established by the Secretary of

Agriculture June 23, 2000 (65 FR

44519), is chartered to provide advice to

the Secretary on implementing the

terms of the Federal Interagency