13486 Federal Register / Vol. 66, No. 44 / Tuesday, March 6, 2001 / Notices

in nursery production areas. For the

development of new regulatory

treatments, about $350,000 is allocated

annually to our plant protection station

in Gulfport, MS. To our knowledge, the

Gulfport Plant Protection Station is the

only facility in the country that is

developing regulatory treatments for the

imported fire ant.

In response to public support for

increased funding for our imported fire

ant program, Congress restored about

$2.1 million for the imported fire ant

program in Fiscal Year 2001. The

majority of this appropriation will be

distributed to States for enforcement

and regulatory activities. We will retain

a small percentage for administrative

costs.

Done in Washington, DC, this 28th day of

February 2001.

Bobby R. Acord,

Acting Administrator, Animal and Plant

Health Inspection Service.

[FR Doc. 01–5421 Filed 3–5–01; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3410–34–P

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Food Safety and Inspection Service

[Docket No. 01–011N]

Codex Alimentarius: Meeting of the

Codex ad hoc Intergovernmental Task

Force on Animal Feeding

AGENCY: Office of the Under Secretary

for Food Safety, USDA.

ACTION: Notice of public meeting and

request for comments.

SUMMARY: The Office of the Under

Secretary for Food Safety, U.S.

Department of Agriculture (USDA), and

the Food and Drug Administration

(FDA), U.S. Department of Health and

Human Services (HHS), are sponsoring

a public meeting, on Tuesday, March 6,

2001. The purpose of this meeting is to

provide information and receive public

comments on agenda items that will be

discussed at the 2nd Session of the

Codex ad hoc Intergovernmental Task

Force on Animal Feeding, which will be

held in Copenhagen, Denmark, on

March 19–21, 2001. USDA and FDA

recognize the importance of providing

interested parties the opportunity to

obtain background information on the

2nd Session of the Codex ad hoc

Intergovernmental Task Force on

Animal Feeding and to address items on

the Agenda.

DATES: The public meeting is scheduled

for Tuesday, March 6, 2001, from 9 a.m.

to 1 p.m.

ADDRESSES: The public meeting will be

held in the Conference Room M of the

Parklawn Building, 5600 Fishers Lane,

Rockville, Maryland 20855 (Twinbrook

Metro Station on the Red Line).

Reference documents will be available

for review in the FSIS Docket Room,

U.S. Department of Agriculture, Food

Safety and Inspection Service, Room

102 Cotton Annex, 300 12th Street, SW.,

Washington, DC 20250–3700. The

documents will also be accessible via

the World Wide Web at the following

address: http://www.fao.org/waicent/

faoinfo/economic/esn/codex/ccaf02/

af01_01e.htm.

Submit one original and two copies of

written comments to the FSIS Docket

Room and at the address above and

reference docket number 01–011N. All

comments submitted in response to this

notice will be available for public

inspection in the FSIS Docket Room

between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m.,

Monday through Friday.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Patrick J. Clerkin, Associate U.S.

Manager for Codex, U.S. Codex Office,

Food Safety and Inspection Service,

Room 4861, South Building, 1400

Independence Avenue SW.,

Washington, DC 20250. Telephone (202)

205–7760, Fax: (202) 720–3157. Persons

requiring a sign language interpreter or

other special accommodations should

notify Mr. Clerkin at the above number.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

The Codex Alimentarius Commission

was established in 1962 by two United

Nations organizations, the Food and

Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the

World Health Organization (WHO).

Codex is the major international

organization for encouraging fair

international trade in food and

protecting the health and economic

interests of consumers. Through

adoption of food standards, codes of

practice, and other guidelines

developed by its committees, and by

promoting their adoption and

implementation by governments, Codex

seeks to ensure that the world’s food

supply is sound, wholesome, free from

adulteration, and correctly labeled. In

the United States, USDA, FDA, and the

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

manage and carry out U.S. Codex

activities.

The Codex ad hoc Intergovernmental

Task Force on Animal Feeding was

established by the 23rd Session of the

Codex Alimentarius Commission to

develop Guidelines or Standards as

appropriate on Good Animal Feeding

practices with the aim of ensuring the

safety and quality of foods of animal

origin. The ad hoc Task Force is chaired

by Denmark.

Issues To Be Discussed at the Public

Meeting

The provisional agenda items to be

discussed during the public meeting:

1. Information paper compiling a list

of internationally available standards

and validated methods for the

examination of animal feed.

2. Information paper on lists

established by different governments to

control the use of prohibited and

undesirable substances in animal feed

or other approaches.

3. Consideration of the Revised Draft

Code of Practice on Good Animal

Feeding at Step 4.

Public Meeting

At the March 6th public meeting, the

agenda items will be described,

discussed, and attendees will have the

opportunity to pose questions and offer

comments. Comments may be sent to

the FSIS Docket Room (see ADDRESSES).

Written comments should state that they

relate to activities of the 2nd ad hoc

International Task Force on Animal

Feeding.

Additional Public Notification

Public awareness of all segments of

rulemaking and policy development is

important. Consequently, in an effort to

better ensure that minorities, women,

and persons with disabilities are aware

of this notice, FSIS will announce it and

provide copies of this Federal Register

publication in the FSIS Constituent

Update. FSIS provides a weekly FSIS

Constituent Update, which is

communicated via fax to over 300

organizations and individuals. In

addition, the update is available on-line

through the FSIS web page located at

http://www.fsis.usda.gov. The update is

used to provide information regarding

FSIS policies, procedures, regulations,

Federal Register notices, FSIS public

meetings, recalls, and any other types of

information that could affect or would

be of interest to our constituents/

stakeholders. The constituent fax list

consists of industry, trade, and farm

groups, consumer interest groups, allied

health professionals, scientific

professionals, and other individuals that

have requested to be included. Through

these various channels, FSIS is able to

provide information to a much broader,

more diverse audience. For more

information and to be added to the

constituent fax list, fax your request to

the Congressional and Public Affairs

Office, at (202) 720–5704.

Federal Register / Vol. 66, No. 44 / Tuesday, March 6, 2001 / Notices 13487

Done at Washington, DC on March 1, 2001.

F. Edward Scarbrough,

U.S. Manager for Codex Alimentarius.

[FR Doc. 01–5420 Filed 3–5–01; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3410–DM–P

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Rural Business-Cooperative Service

Notice of Funds Availability (NOFA)

Invitation for Applications for the

Value-Added Agricultural Product

Market Development Grant Program

(VADG) (Information Resource Center)

AGENCY: Rural Business-Cooperative

Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice.

SUMMARY: The Rural BusinessCooperative Service (RBS) announces

the availability of up to $5,000,000 in

competitive grant funds for the

establishment of a value-added

technical resource center. RBS hereby

requests proposals from eligible

institutions to establish a single pilot

project to be known as the Agricultural

Marketing Resource Center. This Center

will have the capabilities, including

electronic, to coordinate and provide

information regarding research,

business, legal, financial, and logistical

assistance to independent producers

and processors of value-added

agricultural commodities and products

of agricultural commodities. The Center

will also develop a nationwide market

information and coordination system.

DATES: The deadline for receipt of an

application is 4:00 p.m. eastern time on

April 30, 2001. The application

deadline is firm as to date and hour and

applies to submission of the original

application and two copies to the

National Office in Washington, DC. The

agency will not consider any

application received after the deadline.

Comments regarding the information

collection requirements under the

Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 must

be received on or before May 7, 2001 to

be assured of consideration.

ADDRESSES: Send proposals and other

required materials to Dr. Thomas H.

Stafford, Director, Cooperative

Marketing Division, Rural BusinessCooperative Service, USDA, Stop 3252,

Room 4204, 1400 Independence Avenue

SW., Washington, DC 20250–3252.

Telephone: (202) 690–0368, E-Mail:

thomas.stafford@usda.gov.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dr.

Thomas H. Stafford, Director,

Cooperative Marketing Division, Rural

Business-Cooperative Service, USDA,

STOP 3252, Room 4202, 1400

Independence Ave. SW., Washington,

DC 20250–3252. Telephone (202) 690–

0368, Facsimile (202) 690–2723, E-mail:

thomas.stafford@usda.gov. You may

also obtain information from the RBS

website at: http://www.rurdev.usda.gov/

rbs/coops/vadg.htm.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

This solicitation is issued pursuant to

section 231 of the Agriculture Risk

Protection Act of 2000 authorizing the

establishment of the Value-Added

Agricultural Product Market

Development grants. The Secretary of

Agriculture has delegated the program’s

administration to USDA’s Rural

Business-Cooperative Service (RBS) for

the fiscal year ending September 30,

2001. The Rural Business-Cooperative

Service (RBS) was established by the

Department of Agriculture

Reorganization Act of 1994. The mission

of RBS is to improve the quality of life

in rural America by financing

businesses, providing technical

assistance, and creating effective

strategies for rural development. The primary objective of this program

is to establish a pilot project to be

known as the Agricultural Marketing

Resource Center. This Center will have

the capabilities, including electronic

capabilities, to collect, disseminate,

coordinate, and provide information on

value-added processing to independent

producers and processors of valueadded agricultural commodities and

products of agricultural commodities.

This includes information on valueadded research, business operations,

legal issues, financial issues, and

logistical assistance. The Center will

also develop a strategy to establish a

nationwide market information and

coordination system. A single grant will be awarded on a

competitive basis to an eligible

institution as defined in this NOFA

based on specific selection criteria. Parts

3015 and 3019 of 7 CFR will be

applicable to this program. This grant program has a matching

funds requirement. Applicants must

provide matching funds at least equal to

the grant. Grant funds will be disbursed

pursuant to relevant provisions of 7 CFR

parts 3015 and 3019, as applicable.

Matching funds must be used to support

the overall purpose of the VADG

program. All forms required to apply are

available from the Cooperative Services

Program web-site at http://

www.rurdev.usda.gov/rbs/coops/

vadg.htm, by calling (202) 690–0368, or

faxing (202) 690–2723. Forms may also

be requested via the internet by sending

a message with your name, mailing

address (not e-mail), and phone number

to thomas.stafford@usda.gov. When

calling or e-mailing, please indicate you

are requesting forms for fiscal year FY

2001 (FY 2001) Value-Added Product

Market Development Grant Program.

Forms will be mailed to you (not

e-mailed or faxed) as quickly as

possible.

Definitions

Agency—The Rural BusinessCooperative Service (RBS) or its

successor.

Agricultural Product—Plant and

animal products and their by-products,

including aquaculturally produced fish

and seafood products and forestry

products.

Business Plan—A description of

economic activities that will lead to a

potential viable value-added venture

including feasibility studies, marketing

plans, business operations plans, and

legal evaluations.

Center—The Agricultural Marketing

Resource Center which is to be

established and operated by the grantee

to work with independent producers

and processors on value-added

ventures.

Independent Producers—Agricultural

producers, including associations of

producers and producer-owned

corporations, who do not produce the

agricultural product under contract or

joint ownership with any other

organization.

Matching Funds—Cash or confirmed

funding commitments from non-Federal

sources. Matching funds must be at least

equal to the grant amount. In-kind

contributions as defined in 7 CFR part

3015, subpart G and 7 CFR section

3019.23 can be used as matching funds.

Examples of in-kind contributions

include volunteer services furnished by

professional and technical personnel,

donated supplies and equipment, and

donated office space.

Non-Profit Corporation or

Institution—Any organization or

institution, including an accredited

institution of higher education, no part

of the net earnings of which inures, or

may lawfully inure, to the benefit of any

private shareholder or individual.

Public Body—Any state, county, city,

township, incorporated town or village,

borough, authority, district, economic

development authority, or Indian tribe

on Federal or state reservations or other

federally recognized tribe.

Technical Assistance—Development

activities to ensure that a successful

value-added venture is organized. These

activities include, but are not limited to,

conducting feasibility, environmental,

and other essential studies, or preparing