Notice of a Teleconference Meeting of the National Organic Standards Board

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Agricultural Marketing Service

[TM-98-00-8]

Notice of a Teleconference Meeting of the National Organic

Standards Board

AGENCY: Agricultural Marketing Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: In accordance with the Federal Advisory Committee Act, as

amended, the Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) announces a

forthcoming Teleconference meeting of the National Organic Standards

Board (NOSB).

DATES: December 7, 1998, at 2:00 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. Eastern Standard

Time (EST). You must register in advance if you want to be present on

the teleconference call, no later than 12:00 p.m. EST November 30,

1998. Comments to be considered by the NOSB prior to the

teleconference, should be received by November 30, 1998.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Keith Jones, Program Manager, Room

2945 South Building, U.S. Department of Agriculture, AMS,

Transportation and Marketing, National Organic Program, P.O. Box 96456,

Washington, DC 20090-6456; telephone (202) 720-3235; Fax (202) 205-

7808; or by e-mail: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Section 2119 (7 U.S.C. 6518) of the Organic

Foods Production Act of 1990 (OFPA), as amended (7 U.S.C. 6501 et

seq.), requires the establishment of the NOSB. The purpose of the NOSB

is to assist in the development of standards for substances to be used

in organic production and to advise the Secretary on any other aspects

of the implementation of the OFPA. The NOSB met for the first time in

Washington, DC, in March 1992 and currently has six committees working

on various aspects of the program. The committees are: Crops Standards;

Processing, Labeling and Packaging; Livestock Standards; Accreditation;

Materials; and International Issues. In August 1994, the NOSB provided

its initial recommendations for the National Organic Program (NOP) to

the Secretary of Agriculture and since that time has submitted 30

addenda to its recommendations, and reviewed more than 170 substances

for inclusion on the National List of Allowed and Prohibited

Substances. The last meeting of the NOSB was held in July 1998, in

Washington, DC. The Department of Agriculture (USDA) published its

proposed rule in the Federal Register on December 16, 1997 (62 FR

65849). An extension of the comment period on the proposed rule was

published in the Federal Register on February 9, 1998 (63 FR 6498). The

comment period was extended until April 30, 1998. The USDA published

for public comment three issue papers in the Federal Register (63 FR

57624) on October 28, 1998. The papers addressed certain issues raised

during the National Organic Program's proposed rule comment period. The

issue papers are: Issue paper 1. Livestock Confinement in Organic

Production Systems; Issue Paper 2. The Use of Antibiotics and

Parasiticides in Organic Livestock Production; and Paper 3. Termination

of Certification by Private Certifiers. Comments received on these

papers will be considered during the development of a revised National

Organic Program proposed rule.

Purpose and Agenda

The NOSB will conduct a public meeting by teleconference on Friday,

December 7, 1998, from 2:00 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. EST inclusive. After the

teleconference, the NOSB will make its final recommendations to the

Secretary of Agriculture on the above described issue papers.

Type of Meeting

The teleconference meeting will be open to the public. If you wish

to be present on the teleconference call you must register in advance

to receive the dial-in number (teleconference lines are limited and are

available on a first come, first served basis). Please contact Karen

Thomas at: (202) 720-3252 or fax: (202) 205-7808 with your name,

company name, and telephone number, no later than 12:00 p.m. EST

November 30, 1998, if you want to be present on the teleconference

call. Opportunities for oral comment will be given at the beginning of

the call and will be limited to no more than two minutes per speaker

and no more than 20 minutes total for the public comment period. Public

statements presented at the teleconference meeting should not repeat

prior oral or written statements made to USDA by a commenter on the

Issue Papers.

In its October 28, 1998 Federal Register Notice, USDA established

December 14, 1998 as the last date for submission of comments on the

Issue Papers. Persons, however, who want the NOSB to consider their

comments prior to the teleconference, should submit them to USDA by

November 30, 1998 (address above) and indicate that they are being

submitted for the December 7, 1998 NOSB teleconference. All comments on

the issue papers received by USDA by December 14, 1998, will be

considered by it.

Copies of the meeting agenda can be obtained from Karen Y. Thomas

at (202) 720-3252 or at the above fax number and copies of the issue

papers that will be discussed can be obtained from Keith Jones using

the contact information listed at the beginning of this notice. Minutes

of the meeting will be available through Keith Jones. All of this

information is also available through the NOP web page at:

www.ams.usda.gov/nop.

Dated: November 16, 1998.

Eileen S. Stommes,

Deputy Administrator, Transportation and Marketing.

[FR Doc. 98-31185 Filed 11-19-98; 8:45 am]

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