

[Federal Register: May 4, 2007 (Volume 72, Number 86)]
[Notices]               
[Page 25303-25304]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr04my07-66]                         

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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[EPA-HQ-OPP-2006-0291; FRL-8128-5]

 
Guidance for Pesticide Registrants on Small-Scale Field Testing 
and Low-Level Presence in Food of Plant-Incorporated Protectants 
(PIPs); Notice of Availability

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The Agency is announcing the availability of a Pesticide 
Registration Notice (PR Notice) titled ``Guidance on Small-Scale Field 
Testing and Low-Level Presence in Food of Plant-Incorporated 
Protectants (PIPs).'' PR Notices are issued by the Office of Pesticide 
Programs (OPP) to inform pesticide registrants and other interested 
persons about important policies, procedures, and registration related 
decisions, and serve to provide guidance to pesticide registrants and 
OPP personnel. The PR Notice provides guidance to the registrant 
concerning clarification on the process by which EPA reviews and 
ensures the safety of low-level residues of PIPs in food or feed, and 
the conditions under which a tolerance or exemption from the 
requirement of a tolerance would be required for field tests for 
biotechnology-derived food and feed crop plants containing PIPs.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Patricia Moe, Biopesticides and 
Pollution Prevention Division, Office of Pesticide Programs, 
Environmental Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave., NW., 
Washington, DC 20460-0001; telephone number: (703) 305-0744; fax 
number: (703) 308-7026; e-mail address: moe.patricia@epa.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. General Information

A. Does this Action Apply to Me?

    This action is directed to the public in general. Although this 
action may be of particular interest to those persons who are involved 
in plant breeding using PIPs including but not limited to academic 
researchers, seed companies, and PIP registrants. Since other entities 
may also be interested, the Agency has not attempted to describe all 
the specific entities that may be affected by this action. If you have 
any questions regarding the information in this notice, consult the 
person listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT.

II. What Guidance Does the PR Notice Provide?

    The PR Notice provides guidance to the registrant concerning the 
policies described in the August 2, 2002 Federal Register (67 FR 
50578)notice on ``Proposed Federal Actions to Update Field Test 
Requirements for Biotechnology Derived Plants and to Establish Early 
Food Safety Assessments for New Proteins Produced by Such Plants'' 
issued under the auspices of the Office of Science and Technology 
Policy (OSTP). The OSTP notice was issued to outline what measures 
federal agencies would take to prevent low levels of biotechnology 
derived genes and gene products from being found in commercial food and 
feed. The OSTP notice stated that EPA would rely on existing processes 
and publish guidance for individuals and organizations conducting field 
testing of PIPs. The PR Notice describes those existing rules along 
with the existing procedures related to them. Additionally, the PR 
Notice provides guidance on residue containment in small-scale field 
testing and the kinds of information that EPA has received to support 
the PIP tolerances issued thus far.

III. Do PR Notices Contain Binding Requirements?

    The PR Notice discussed in this notice is intended to provide 
guidance to EPA personnel and decision makers and to pesticide 
registrants. While the requirements in the statutes and Agency 
regulations are binding on EPA and the applicants, the PR Notice is not 
binding on either EPA or pesticide registrants, and EPA may depart from 
the guidance where circumstances warrant and without prior notice. 
Likewise, pesticide registrants may assert that the guidance is not 
appropriate generally or not applicable to a specific pesticide or 
situation.

List of Subjects

    Environmental protection, Administrative practice and procedure, 
Agricultural commodities, Pesticides and pests.


[[Page 25304]]


    Dated: April 30, 2007,
Debra Edwards,
Director, Office of Pesticide Programs.
[FR Doc. E7-8550 Filed 5-3-07; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 6560-50-S
