[Federal Register Volume 60, Number 104 (Wednesday, May 31, 1995)]
[Notices]
[Pages 28387-28389]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 95-13241]



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Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service
[Docket No. 95-038-1]


International Sanitary and Phytosanitary Standard-Setting 
Activities

AGENCY: Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, USDA.
ACTION: Notice and solicitation of comments.

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SUMMARY: In accordance with legislation implementing the Uruguay Round 
of the General Agreements on Tariffs and Trade, we are informing the 
public of international standard-setting activities of the Office 
International des Epizooties and the Secretariat of the International 
Plant Protection Convention, and we are soliciting public comment on 
the standards to be considered.
ADDRESSES: Please send an original and three copies of your comments to 
Docket No. 95-038-1, Regulatory Analysis and Development, PPD, APHIS, 
Suite 3C03, 4700 River Road Unit 118, Riverdale, MD 20737-1238. Please 
state in your letter that your comments refer to Docket No. 95-038-1, 
and state the name of the committee or working group to which your 
comments are addressed. Comments received may be inspected at USDA, 
room 1141, South Building, 14th Street and Independence Avenue SW., 
Washington, DC, between 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, 
except holidays. Persons wishing to inspect comments are requested to 
call ahead on (202) 690-2817 to facilitate entry into the comment 
reading room.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Mr. Douglas Barnett, Assistant Director, International Activities, 
International Services, APHIS, 4700 River Road Unit 67, Riverdale, MD 
20737-1233, (301) 734-8892; or Mr. John Greifer, Trade Support Team, 
International Services, APHIS, room 1128, South Building, 14th Street 
and Independence Avenue SW., Washington, DC 20250.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Legislation implementing the Uruguay Round 
of the General Agreements on Tariffs and Trade (the Uruguay Round 
Agreements Act) was signed into law (Pub. L. 103-465) by the President 
on December 8, 1994. The Uruguay Round Agreements Act amended title IV 
of the Trade Agreements Act of 1979 (19 U.S.C. 2531 et seq.) by adding 
a new subtitle F, ``International Standard-Setting Activities.'' 
Subtitle F requires the President to designate an agency to be 
responsible for informing the public of the sanitary and phytosanitary 
standard-setting activities of each international standard-setting 
organization. The designated agency must inform the public by 
publishing a notice in the Federal Register no later than June 1 of 
each year, which provides the following information: (1) The sanitary 
or phytosanitary standards under consideration or planned for 
consideration by the international standard-setting organization; and 
(2) for each sanitary or phytosanitary standard specified, a 
description of the consideration or planned consideration of the 
standard; whether the United States is participating or plans to 
participate in the consideration of the standard; the agenda for United 
States participation, if any; and the agency responsible for 
representing the Untied States with respect to the standard.
    Subtitle F defines ``international standard'' as a standard, 
guideline, or recommendation: (1) Adopted by the Codex Alimentarius 
Commission regarding food safety; (2) developed under the auspices of 
the International Office of Epizootics regarding animal health and 
zoonoses; (3) developed under the auspices of the Secretariat of the 
International Plant Protection Convention in cooperation with the North 
American Plant Protection Organization 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 or by member countries of the World Trade Organization.
    The Codex Alimentarius Commission (Codex) was created in 1962 by 
two United Nations organizations, the Food [[Page 28388]] 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 
customers.
    The Office International des Epizooties (OIE) was created in Paris, 
France, in 1924, with the signing of an international agreement by 28 
countries. Today, 143 countries are members. The OIE facilitates 
intergovernmental cooperation to prevent the spread of contagious 
diseases in animals, assists in the development of animal production 
through improved health information, and shares scientific progress 
among its members. The OIE provides the major international forum for 
discussion and agreement on recommendations and proposals on topics 
such as disease control, technical cooperation, trade standards, and 
the exchange of research and disease information.
    The Secretariat of the International Plant Protection Convention 
(IPPC) was established within the FAO in 1952 in response to demands 
from members for development of global standards for plant quarantine. 
The IPPC works with plant protection organizations at national and 
regional levels, including the North American Plant Protection 
Organization (NAPPO), to harmonize plant quarantine activities 
worldwide, facilitate the dissemination of phytosanitary information, 
strengthen international cooperation, and support technical assistance 
to developing countries.
    The World Trade Organization (WTO) was established on January 1, 
1995, as the common international institution for the conduct of trade 
relations among the members in matters related to the Uruguay Round of 
the General Agreements on Tariffs and Trade. U.S. membership in the WTO 
was approved by Congress when it enacted the Uruguay Round Agreements 
Act.
    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 sanitary and phytosanitary 
standard-setting activities of each international standard-setting 
organization. This responsibility has been delegated to the Food Safety 
and Inspection Service of the United States Department of Agriculture 
(USDA) for Codex activities, and to the USDA's Animal and Plant Health 
Inspection Service (APHIS) for OIE and IPPC activities.
    Accordingly, in this notice, APHIS announces the following OIE and 
IPPC (including NAPPO) activities related to international standards. 
The United States is a participant in each of the following activities 
and APHIS is the agency responsible for representing the United States 
with respect to these standards. In some cases, working groups and 
committees have not yet set meeting dates and places or determined 
specific standards to be discussed. Also, because working groups and 
the issues they address are not static, this list may not present a 
complete picture of the OIE and IPPC sanitary and phytosanitary 
standard-setting activities during the coming year.

1. Committee/Working Group: Standards Commission of the OIE
    Agency Participant: Dr. James Pearson
    General Purpose: Establish standards for methods of diagnosing 
animal disease and testing biologics used for control programs.
    Dates of Meetings: September 19-22, 1995, February 1996
    Location of Meetings: Paris, France
    Major Discussion/Agenda: Review of OIE reference laboratories; 
diagnostic test standardization; OIE reference sera; laboratory quality 
assurance; review of new edition of OIE Manual of Standards of 
Diagnostic Tests and Vaccines; provide advice to OIE Animal Health Code 
Commission
2. Committee/Working Group: OIE General Session
    Agency Participant(s): Dr. Lonnie King (delegate); Dr. Alex 
Thiermann (alternate delegate and coordinator)
    General Purpose: Establish and adopt international standards 
dealing with animal health.
    Date of Meeting: May 1996
    Location of Meeting: Paris, France
    Major Discussion/Agenda: Animal health standards as they relate to 
trade; including risk assessment standards (including criteria for 
evaluating veterinary infrastructure) and regionalization
3. Committee/Working Group: IPPC Certification Standards
    Agency Participant: Mr. Robert Griffin
    General Purpose: Development of standards for phytosanitary 
certification.
    Date of Meeting: To be announced
    Location of Meeting: To be announced
    Major Discussion/Agenda: Model certification system
4. Committee/Working Group: IPPC Inspection Methodologies Standards
    Agency Participant: Mr. Robert Griffin
    General Purpose: Development of standards for inspection 
methodology.
    Date of Meeting: To be announced
    Location of Meeting: To be announced
    Major Discussion/Agenda: Statistical basis for inspection
5. Committee/Working Group: IPPC/Foreign Agricultural Organization 
Working Group on Pest Risk Analysis
    Agency Participant: Mr. Richard Orr
    General Purpose: Development of international standards for pest 
risk analysis.
    Date of Meeting: To be announced
    Location of Meeting: To be announced
    Major Discussion/Agenda: To be announced
    Other: The following standards have been completed in draft form:
    Standards for Pest Categorization (Bangkok, Thailand, Sept. 1994); 
standards for determining whether an organism qualifies as a quarantine 
pest.
    Standards on Economic Impact Assessment (Ottawa, Canada, Nov. 
1994); standards for performing an economic evaluation, including 
environmental and social impacts) within a pest risk assessment.
    Standards on the Probability of Introduction (Geneva, Switzerland, 
Jan. 1995); standards for determining the probability of introduction 
(entry resulting in establishment) of a pest.
    Standard on Risk Management (Yokohama, Japan, Mar. 1995); standards 
for making risk management decisions based on data from quarantine pest 
risk assessments.
6. Committee/Working Group: NAPPO Biological Control Committee
    Agency Participant: Dr. Dale Meyerdirk
    General Purpose: Facilitate cooperation among NAPPO member 
countries regarding biological control issues, through information 
exchange, coordination, and harmonization of recommendations, 
regulations, and guidelines.
    Date of Meeting: February 19-13, 1996
    Location of Meeting: Mexico
    Major Discussion/Agenda: To be announced
7. Committee/Working Group: NAPPO Fruit Tree and Grapevine Nursery 
Stock Certification Standards Panel
    Agency Participant: Dr. Joseph Foster
    General Purpose: Set minimum standards for pathogen testing and 
propagation of fruit trees and grapevines so certified nursery stock 
can be shipped safely throughout North America.
    Date of Meeting: June 21-24, 1995
    Location of Meeting: Victoria, British Columbia, 
Canada [[Page 28389]] 
    Major Discussion/Agenda: Pathogen lists for each crop and pathogen 
testing procedures for quarantine programs
8. Committee/Working Group: NAPPO Working Group
    Agency Participant: Mr. Robert Griffin
    General Purpose: Provide general leadership, director, and support 
to NAPPO activities.
    Date of Meeting: July and October, 1995; January and April, 1996
    Location of Meeting: To be announced
    Major Discussion/Agenda: All new and ongoing NAPPO business, 
including standards
9. Committee/Working Group: NAPPO Ad Hoc Irradiation Panel
    Agency Participant: Mr. Robert Griffin
    General Purpose: Develop NAPPO standards for the application of 
irradiation to phytosanitary problems.
    Date of Meeting: To be announced
    Location of Meeting: To be announced
    Major Discussion/Agenda: Continuing development of trilateral 
policy
10. Committee/Working Group: NAPPO Ad Hoc Fruit Flies Panel
    Agency Participant: Mr. Michael Stefan and Mr. Alan Green
    General Purpose: Develop quarantine pest list for NAPPO region; 
develop NAPPO standards for monitoring fruit fly species; develop NAPPO 
standard for phytosanitary measures.
    Date of Meeting: To be announced
    Location of Meeting: To be announced
    Major Discussion/Agenda: Regional pest list; monitoring standards; 
phytosanitary measures standards; rationale on how to proceed with 
issues not of direct concern to one of the three members
11. Committee/Working Group: NAPPO Pest Risk Analysis Panel
    Agency Participant: Dr. Matthew Royer
    General Purpose: To implement NAPPO pest risk analysis standard.
    Date of Meeting: October 1995
    Location of Meeting: Saskatchewan, Canada
    Major Discussion/Agenda: To be announced
12. Committee/Working Group: NAPPO Executive Committee
    Agency Participant: Mr. Alfred S. Elder
    General Purpose: To harmonize plant quarantine regulations and 
import requirements among Canada, Mexico, and the United States
    Date of Meeting: August 15, 1995; October 1995; April 1996
    Location of Meeting: Saskatchewan, Canada; Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
    Major Discussion/Agenda: Standards development process; area 
freedom standard; pest surveillance/monitoring standard; pest risk 
analysis standard.

    Comments on standards being considered or to be considered by any 
of the committees or working groups listed above may be sent to us as 
directed under the heading ADDRESSES.

    Done in Washington, DC, this 25th day of May 1995.
Terry L. Medley
Acting Administrator, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.
[FR Doc. 95-13241 Filed 5-30-95; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-34-M