VOA慢速英语2015 最大的鸡肉生产商停止使用抗生素

Major Chicken Producer to Stop Using Antibiotics 2 最大的鸡肉生产商停止使用抗生素

The largest chicken meat producer in the United States says it will stop giving its birds antibiotics that doctors use to treat humans. Tyson Foods made the announcement April 28. It said it plans to complete the change by 2017.

美国最大的鸡肉生产商称将不再给禽类喂食医生给人治病用的抗生素，美国泰森食品公司4月28日宣布了该消息，称计划到2017年彻底实现这一转变。

Health experts say overuse of the medicines is part of the reason more bacteria are becoming resistant 3 to them.

医疗专家称这种药物的过度使用是导致更多细菌对该药物产生抗药性的原因之一。

Farmers have fed livestock 4 small amounts of antibiotics for many years. The drugs help the animals grow faster and prevent the spread of sickness among farm animals that live close together.

农场主们多年来给家畜喂食小剂量的抗生素，这种药物帮助牲畜长得更快，并预防疾病在密集喂养的农场动物之间传播。

But bacteria living in and on the animals develop and become immune to the drugs. In other words, the antibiotics no longer have any effect. These drug-resistant bacteria then enter the bodies of people who eat the birds or livestock. Then, infections in humans become more costly 5 and difficult to treat. Sometimes, treatment does not work at all.

但牲畜身上的细菌会不断演化并对药物免疫，也就是说，抗生素不再产生效力。这些抗药性的细菌然后进入食用了禽类或家畜的人的体内，人体内的感染变得难以治疗，成本也更昂贵，有时候治疗根本不起作用。

Donnie Smith is the president of Tyson Foods. He says the company has already begun reducing its use of antibiotics.

唐尼·史密斯是美国泰森食品公司总裁，他说本公司已经在减少对抗生素的使用。

“As a result of our efforts, only a very small percentage of our chicken flocks receive human antibiotics today.”

“经过我们的努力，如今只有很少一部分禽类食用人类抗生素。”

He says the company will stop giving its birds antibiotics by the end of 2017.

他说本公司将在2017年年底之前停止给禽类喂食抗生素。

Sasha Stashwick is a policy expert at the Natural Resources Defense 6 Council, and environmental group. The NRDC has been calling for an end to the use of antibiotics in animals for many years. Ms. Stashwick says other companies have recently announced their decision to end the use of the medicine in the animals they produce.

萨沙·斯塔什维克是自然资源保护委员会和环境组织的政策专家，该委员会多年来一直呼吁停止给动物喂食抗生素，斯塔什维克说其他公司最近也宣布决定停止对其动物使用抗生素。

“…we’re seeing that over a third of the industry at this point either has eliminated the use of medically-important antibiotics in its production or has made a public commitment to do so within the next few years.”

“我们看到该行业超过三分之一的公司或者已停止使用医学上非常重要的抗生素，要么已公开承诺在未来几年内这么做。”

While the use of antibiotics in birds and livestock is decreasing in the U.S. and Europe, it is expected to increase in the developing world. There is a growing demand for meat there. Livestock producers in those countries are using methods that require antibiotics to keep animals healthy.

尽管美国和欧洲在减少对禽类和家禽的抗生素喂养，预计发展中国家会增加对其的使用。这些国家对肉食的需求在增加，这些国家的牲畜生产商在使用需要抗生素的方法来使牲畜保持健康。

Ramanan Laxminarayan is the director of the Center for Disease Dynamics 7, Economics and Policy. He says Tyson’s announcement shows food producers can continue to operate without using the drugs.

拉斯梅纳理恩是美国疾病动态、经济和政策中心主任，他说泰森食品公司的声明表明食品生产商们可以在不使用这些药物的情况下继续经营。

Mr. Laxminarayan says if producers provide cleaner living conditions and better nutrition for their animals, they will not need to give them antibiotics. But he says the buying public must pressure farmers to stop using the drugs.

拉斯梅纳理恩说如果生产商给其动物提供更清洁的生活环境和更好的营养，这些动物就不再需要抗生素，但他说消费者必须给农场主施压要求其停止使用这些药物。

Words in This Story

antibiotic 1 – n. a drug that is used to kill harmful bacteria and to cure infections

livestock – n. farm animals (such as cows, horses, and pigs) that are kept, raised, and used by people

immune – adj. not capable of being affected 8 by a disease

flock – n. a group of birds or animals (such as sheep)

eliminate – v. to remove (something that is not wanted or needed)

commitment – n. a promise to do or give something