Made to Be Broken?

The closer the organic food community studies the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s proposed rules and regulations for the industry, the less it likes them.

At the recent Ecological Farming Conference in Monterey, farmers and activists complained that the proposed rules stray too far from accepted organic farming principles and fail to respect the recommendations of the National Organic Standards Board, which was created by federal law in 1990 to help develop the rules.

The proposal as written is not acceptable, the organic proponents said--and not just because of the government’s failure to outlaw food irradiation, the use of sewage sludge on farms and genetic engineering.

Among other complaints, they said the rules violate the national organic law by adding to a list of allowed synthetic pesticides and other chemicals. Some of these chemicals could make it possible for farmers to grow one crop--say, soybeans--year after year rather than rotate crops to replenish the soil, as is the norm in organic farming.

The USDA is said to be considering extending to May 1 the period for public comment on the rules, which is now scheduled to end March 16.

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Times staff writer Martha Groves can be reached by fax at (213) 473-2480 or by e-mail at martha.groves@latimes.com