Federal Register: April 4, 2008 (Volume 73, Number 66)
Notices               
Page 18491-18492
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr04ap08-21]                         
 
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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
 
Agricultural Marketing Service
 
[Doc. No. AMS-TM-08-0021; TM-08-04]
 
Notice of 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) is announcing a
forthcoming meeting of the National Organic Standards Board (NOSB).
 
DATES: The meeting dates are Tuesday, May 20, 2008, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.;
Wednesday, May 21, 2008, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.; and Thursday, May 22, 2008,
8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Requests from individuals and organizations wishing to
make oral presentations at the meeting are due by the close of business
on May 5, 2008.
 
ADDRESSES: The meeting will take place at The Holiday Inn Inner Harbor
Hotel, 301 W. Lombard Street, Baltimore, MD 21201.
 
     Requests for copies of the NOSB meeting agenda, may be
sent to Ms. Valerie Frances, Executive Director, NOSB, USDA-AMS-TMP-
NOP, 1400 Independence Ave., SW., Room 4008-So., Ag Stop 0268,
Washington, DC 20250-0268. The NOSB meeting agenda and proposed
recommendations may also be viewed at http://www.ams.usda.gov/nop.
 
     Comments on proposed NOSB recommendations may be submitted
by May 5, 2008 in writing to Ms. Frances at either the postal address
above or via the internet at http://www.regulations.gov only. The
comments should identify Docket No. AMS-TM-08-0021. It is our intention
to have all comments to this notice whether they are submitted by mail
or the internet available for viewing on the http://www.regulations.gov
Web site.
 
     Requests to make an oral presentation at the meeting may
also be sent by May 5, 2008 to Ms. Valerie Frances at the postal
address above, by email at valerie.frances@usda.gov, via facsimile at
(202) 205-7808, or phone at (202) 720-3252.
 
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Valerie Frances, Executive Director,
NOSB, National Organic Program (NOP), (202) 720-3252, or visit the NOP
Web site at: http://www.ams.usda.gov/nop.
 
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
make recommendations about whether a substance should be allowed or
prohibited in organic production or handling, to assist in the
development of standards for substances to be used in organic
production, and to advise the Secretary on 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 subcommittees
working on various aspects of the organic program. The committees are:
Compliance, Accreditation, and Certification; Crops; Handling;
Livestock; Materials; and Policy Development.
 
    In August of 1994, the NOSB provided its initial recommendations
for the NOP to the Secretary of Agriculture. Since that time, the NOSB
has submitted 154 addenda to its recommendations and reviewed more than
327 substances for inclusion on the National List of Allowed and
Prohibited Substances. The Department of Agriculture (USDA) published
its final National Organic Program regulation in the Federal Register
on December 21, 2000, (65 FR 80548). The rule became effective April
21, 2001.
 
    In addition, the OFPA authorizes the National List of Allowed and
Prohibited Substances and provides that no allowed or prohibited
substance would remain on the National List for a period exceeding 5
years unless the exemption or prohibition is reviewed and recommended
for renewal by the NOSB and adopted by the Secretary of Agriculture.
This expiration is commonly referred to as sunset of the National List.
The National List appears at 7 CFR Part 205, Subpart G.
 
    The principal purposes of the NOSB meeting are to provide an
opportunity for the NOSB to receive an update from the USDA/NOP and
hear progress reports from NOSB committees regarding work plan items
and proposed action items. The last meeting of the NOSB was held on
November 28-30, 2007 in Arlington, VA.
 
    At its last meeting, the Board recommended the addition of 3
materials to the National List Sec.  205.601 for use in crops and Sec.  
205.605 for use in handling. In addition, the Board also nearly
completed the sunset review process for 11 of the 13 materials for use
in crops and handling which are due to expire on November 3, 2008 and
November 4, 2008. Of these 11 materials, there are 9 substances for use
in crops and handling placed on the National List on November 3, 2003,
and are scheduled to expire on November 3, 2008. Four substances for use in
handling were placed on the National List on November 4, 2003, and are
scheduled to expire on November 4, 2008. They will be making final
recommendations on these 11 materials at this meeting. Two forms of
Tartaric acid, for use in handling in Sec.  205.605(a) and (b) for
which the Board has not completed its review, were placed on the
National List on November 3, 2003, and are scheduled to expire on
November 3, 2008. The sunset review process for these two forms of
Tartaric acid must be concluded no later than November 3, 2008. If
renewal is not concluded by this date, the use or prohibition of these
2 forms of Tartaric acid will no longer be in compliance with the
National Organic Program.
 
    The Policy Development Committee will present recommendations
regarding revisions to the NOSB Policy and Procedures Manual and the
Guide for new NOSB members as well as discuss their on-going
collaboration with the NOP to review the NOP responses to prior NOSB
recommendations.
 
    The Compliance, Accreditation, and Certification Committee and the
Crops Committee will jointly present their recommendation offering
guidance for accredited certifying agents regarding annual commercial
availability determinations for organic seed sourcing by farmers under
Sec.  205.204.
 
    The Crops Committee will present recommendations on the materials
Tetracycline, Cheesewax, Dextrin, and Sorbitol octanoate petitioned for
use on Sec.  205.601. The Committee will also present their
recommendations on the continued use or prohibition of Copper sulfate,
Ozone gas, Peracetic acid, and EPA List 3--Inerts of unknown toxicity,
with their respective annotations and limitations. These exemptions are
due to expire on November 3, 2008, from Sec.  205.601. The Committee
will also present their recommendation on the continued use or
prohibition of Calcium chloride for use as a brine-sourced foliar
spray. Calcium chloride is otherwise considered a prohibited natural
substance in Sec.  205.602 and is also due to expire on November 3,
2008.
 
    The Crops Committee and the Livestock Committee will jointly
present their recommendation on the development of standards for
organic aquatic plants in organic aquaculture.
 
    The Livestock Committee will present its recommendation on the
material Fenbendazole petitioned for use in Sec.  205.603. The
Committee will present its recommendations on the petition to remove
the expiration date of October 21, 2008 on the following three
substances: DL-Methionine, DL-Methionine-Hydroxy Analog; and DL-
Methionine-Hydroxy Analog Calcium--for use only in organic poultry
production in Sec.  205.603. The Committee will also present
recommendations on the use of fish feed and open net pens in regards to
the development of organic aquaculture standards for finfish.
 
    The Handling Committee will present their recommendations on the
materials Sodium chlorite, acidified and Calcium, derived from seaweed
petitioned for inclusion in Sec.  205.605 for use in organic products.
The Committee will present their recommendations on the 24 materials
Black Pepper, Buck Hull Powder, Camu Camu Extract, Caramel Color,
Chinese Thistle Daisy Extract, Chlorella algae, Codonopsis Root
Extract, Dumontiacae algae, Ginger Root Extract, Jujube Fruit Extract,
Kombu seaweed, Ligusticum Root Extract, Marsala Cooking Wine, Oatbran,
Okra, Pectin, low methoxy, non-amidated, Peony Root Extract, Polygala
Root Extract, Polygonum Root Extract, Poria Fungus Extract, Rehmannia
Extract, Sherry Cooking Wine, Tangerine Peel Extract, and Tragacanth
Gum petitioned for inclusion in Sec.  205.606 for use in organic
products depending on final commercial availability determinations
performed by accredited certifying agents.
 
    The Handling Committee will present their recommendations on the
continued use or prohibition of the material exemptions in Sec.  
205.605(a) which is Agar-agar and due to expire on November 3, 2008,
and Animal enzymes, Calcium sulfate, and Glucono delta-lactone, with
their respective annotations and limitations, due to expire on November
4, 2008. The Committee will also present their recommendations on the
continued use or prohibition of the material exemption in Sec.  
205.605(b) which is Cellulose with its respective annotations and
limitations, due to expire on November 4, 2008. They will also present
their recommendations on the continued use or prohibition of the
material exemptions for the two forms of Tartaric acid in Sec.  
205.605(a) and (b) which are due to expire on November 3, 2008.
 
    The Meeting is Open to the Public. The NOSB has scheduled time for
public input for Tuesday, May 20, 2008, from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.,
Wednesday, May 21, 2008, from 3:45 p.m. to 5 p.m., and Thursday, May
22, 2008, from 8 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. Individuals and organizations
wishing to make oral presentations at the meeting may forward their
requests by mail, facsimile, email, or phone to Valerie Frances as
listed in ADDRESSES above. Individuals or organizations will be given
approximately 5 minutes to present their views. All persons making oral
presentations are requested to provide their comments in writing.
Written submissions may contain information other than that presented
at the oral presentation. Anyone may submit written comments at the
meeting. Persons submitting written comments are asked to provide 30
copies.
 
    Interested persons may visit the NOSB portion of the NOP Web site
at http://www.ams.usda.gov/nop to view available meeting documents
prior to the meeting, or visit http://www.regulations.gov to submit and
view comments as provided for in ADDRESSES above. Documents presented
at the meeting will be posted for review on the NOP Web site
approximately 6 weeks following the meeting.
 
    Dated: April 1, 2008.
Lloyd C. Day,
Administrator, Agricultural Marketing Service.
[FR Doc. 08-1097 Filed 4-1-08; 4:21pm]