為什麼雞肉這麼便宜？：英語精讀講義

Chickens are the most populous bird on the planet.

雞是地球上數量最多的鳥類。

There are 23 billion of them at any given time. 片語搭配

任何時候都有230億隻雞存在。

That's 10 times more than any other bird. 文法

比其他任何鳥類多出10倍。

It's an astonishing achievement for a bird

對於一種鳥類來說，這是一個驚人的成就，

that originated as a small wild jungle bird in Southeast Asia.

牠們起源於東南亞的小型野生原雞。

It's by far the fastest growing meat product. 文法

這是迄今為止增長最快的肉類產品。

But pound for pound, 慣用語

但按同等重量計算，

the price of chicken has fallen sharply.

雞肉的價格卻大幅下跌。

How has this happened?

這是怎麼發生的？

This farm is at the forefront of a technology revolution 慣用語

這個農場正處於一場技術革命的前沿，

that has drastically changed chicken farming.

這場革命徹底改變了養雞業。

It's run by David Speller,

它由David Speller經營，

who's pioneered the use of CCTV and CO2 monitors in chicken sheds. 片語搭配

他率先在雞舍中使用了監視器和二氧化碳監測儀。

Along with his own farm,

除了經營自己的農場，

he works as a consultant,

他還擔任顧問，

overseeing the raising of around 3 million chickens in the UK.

監督英國約300萬隻雞的飼養。

You can't get away from the scale. 片語動詞

你無法忽視這樣龐大的規模。

You know, there are 45,000 birds in this barn

你知道，這個穀倉裡有45,000隻雞，

managed by one computer.

僅由一台電腦管理。

Two men will run 200,000 birds for me. 用詞

兩個人就能替我管理20萬隻雞。

Chickens were first domesticated

雞最早被馴化

over 8,000 years ago.

是在8000多年前。

But it wasn't until the 1940s 文法

但直到1940年代，

that major efforts were made to create a super breed.

人們才大力嘗試培育出超級品種。

The Chicken of Tomorrow competition in America

美國的「明日之雞」比賽

would change chickens forever.

永遠改變了雞的命運。

The aim of that competition was to try and encourage the development 文法

那場比賽的目的是試圖鼓勵培育

of a fast-growing chicken

一種生長迅速的雞，

that could provide a larger amount of uh protein at an affordable cost. 片語搭配

能夠以實惠的價格提供大量蛋白質。

The success of the contest proved conclusively

比賽的成功令人信服地證明了，

that it is possible to breed chickens

培育出

with superior meat type characteristics.

具有優質肉類特徵的雞是可能的。

Today, the life cycle of broilers, 用詞

如今，肉雞的生命週期——

chickens that are bred purely for their meat,

即純粹為了吃肉而飼養的雞——

is entirely preordained.

完全是預先注定的。

They grow faster and bigger than ever before, 文法

牠們長得比以往任何時候都更快、更大，

and they can only live supported by human technology.

而且必須依靠人類技術的支援才能生存。

Modern uh industrialized farming

現代工業化養殖

requires the use of artificial light,

需要使用人造光源、

artificial temperature.

人工溫度控制。

The whole life of these birds

這些雞的一生

is effectively controlled through technology.

都透過技術受到了有效的控制。

Chickens have changed so quickly,

雞的變化如此之快，

they are now four times 文法

牠們現在的體型是

the size they were in the 1950s.

1950年代時的四倍。

90,000 chicks at a time get delivered.

一次就能送來9萬隻小雞。

It's our job to nurture them

我們的工作就是培育牠們，

and farm them up to a bird

把牠們養大，

that's then ready to go back for processing.

直到可以送回加工廠。

That starts around day 34.

這大概從第34天開始。

The biggest birds for us off this farm

對我們農場來說最大的雞，

are around 39 days of age.

大約在39天左右。

Then we have a really frantic 7 to 10 days

然後我們會經歷非常瘋狂的7到10天，

to clean everywhere,

到處都要清理乾淨，

get it all nice and warm

把環境弄得溫暖舒適、

and fresh ready for the next batch of chicks.

空氣清新，為下一批小雞做好準備。

We do that 7 and 1/2, 8 times a year.

我們一年大概要重複這個流程7個半到8次。

This efficiency is passed on to the consumer. 片語動詞

這種高效性讓消費者從中受益。

It's good value. 用詞

物超所值。

I don't like referring to it as cheap.

我不喜歡稱之為廉價。

These are not cheap.

牠們並不廉價。

These are animals.

牠們是動物。

They have a worth.

牠們是有價值的。

But it is great value.

但CP值確實很高。

It is uniform.

牠們品質統一。

It's healthy for you,

對你的健康有益，

and consumers love it.

消費者也很喜歡。

The reality of farming any animal for meat

為了吃肉而飼養任何動物的現實，

is you take it to its optimal place,

就是你把牠養到最佳狀態，

and then you take it to turn it for human consumption.

然後把牠轉化為供人類食用的產品。

These birds, 38, 39 days,

這些雞，養到38、39天，

is as far as we want to take them

也就是我們想要達到的極限，

for the product that we want to buy.

以換取我們想要買到的產品。

A barnyard chicken can live up to 10 years, 片語搭配

農家散養的雞可以活到10年，

showing the huge evolutionary change 片語搭配

這顯示了

the broilers have undergone.

肉雞經歷了多麼巨大的進化改變。

But selective breeding on a global scale

但全球規模的選擇性繁育

comes at a cost. 慣用語

是有代價的。

If the chickens live beyond their planned life,

如果這些雞活過了牠們原定的壽命，

they develop huge medical problems.

牠們會產生巨大的醫療問題。

These birds can't then sustain that rapid weight growth

在通常被屠宰的時間點之後，

beyond the point at which they're normally slaughtered,

這些雞將無法再承受體重的快速增長，

because their bodies can't cope with it. 片語搭配

因為牠們的身體承受不了。

And it also puts huge amounts of pressure 片語搭配

這也會對其

on their internal organs as well.

內臟器官造成巨大的壓力。

And there are concerns the chicken industry 表達脈絡

人們擔心養雞業

is relying on an increasingly small gene pool. 用詞

正依賴於一個越來越小的基因池。

Pretty chicks?

很漂亮的小雞？

Yes, sir.

是的，先生。

Alike as two peas in a pod. 慣用語

長得一模一樣。

If all of these chickens have the same genetics,

如果所有這些雞擁有相同的基因，

they're all fed the same food,

又吃同樣的食物，

they're actually very vulnerable to diseases 片語搭配

牠們實際上非常容易感染

that come in because they're all identical.

外來的疾病，因為牠們完全一樣。

So, if one bird is affected, 文法

所以，如果一隻雞感染了，

all the birds will be affected.

所有的雞都會被感染。

Keeping chickens in battery cages was banned in the EU in 2012. 文化背景

歐盟在2012年禁止了格子籠飼養雞。

But some people want to create better lives for broiler chickens.

但有些人想為肉雞創造更好的生活條件。

Free-range birds have more access to open-air runs, 用詞

放山雞能更多地接觸到露天活動場，

while organic chickens are typically free from antibiotics,

而有機雞通常不接觸抗生素、

hormones, and other synthetic chemicals.

激素和其他合成化學物質。

Organic chickens get to live the longest.

有機雞的壽命最長。

81 days compared to intensively reared birds,

相比於密集飼養的35到40天，

which live between 35 and 40 days.

牠們可以活81天。

Free-range chickens get the most access to open-air runs.

放山雞擁有最多的露天活動機會。

But when it comes to living space, 片語搭配

而在生活空間方面，

organic and free-range fare far better than intensively reared birds, 用詞

有機和散養的方式遠遠優於密集飼養，

where as many as 17 adult birds live in a single square meter. 文法

後者在每平方公尺可能要擠進多達17隻成年雞。

Organic farming might offer animals a greater quality of life,

有機養殖或許能為動物提供更高的生活品質，

but consumers are largely driven by cost. 片語搭配

但消費者很大程度上受價格驅動。

And in an average UK supermarket,

在普通的英國超市裡，

an intensively reared chicken costs several times less than its free-range or organic cousins. 文法

密集飼養的雞肉價格要比散養或有機的便宜好幾倍。

You are talking significant cost difference, 語氣意圖

這可是巨大的成本差異，

and I think that's why we see the demand is not there.

我認為這就是為什麼需求不足的原因。

If the demand was there, 文法

如果需求在那裡，

we'd all be doing it.

我們都會這麼做的。

Over 95% of broiler chickens are intensively reared in the UK.

在英國，超過95%的肉雞是密集飼養的。

Organic and free-range chickens make up the rest. 片語動詞

剩下的是有機雞和放山雞。

So what's key for me 文法

所以，對我而言，

in being a farmer of chicken

作為一個養雞農戶，

is to understand what the consumer wants to buy.

關鍵是了解消費者想買什麼。

We are purely market-driven. 用詞

我們完全是由市場驅動的。

For as long as shoppers want cheap and plentiful chicken, 文法

只要顧客需要便宜且量大的雞肉，

they will continue to be bred ever more intensively.

牠們就會繼續被以更高強度的方式繁育。