Notice of a Teleconference Meeting of the National Organic Standards Board

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] BILLING CODE 3410-02-P