英美贸易谈判在农业问题上产生冲突

    Britain and the United States have opened exploratory talks on a trade agreement. Such an agreement would take effect after Britain officially leaves the European Union.
    英国和美国就贸易协定开展了探索性会谈。这类协议将会在英国正式退出欧盟后生效。

    The withdrawal, known as Brexit, is set for March 29.
    英国脱欧定在3月29日。

    Sharp differences have arisen between British and U.S. officials over agricultural issues. Britain is resisting U.S. demands to open its markets to farm products currently banned under EU law.
    英美官员之间在农业问题上出现了尖锐分歧。英国抵制美国要求放开根据目前欧盟法律受禁农产品的市场。

    The most widely reported example is Europe's import ban on American "chlorinated chicken." In the United States, the meat processing industry washes chickens in chlorine to remove harmful bacteria. Europe says that an over-dependence on chlorine lowers overall production and cleanliness on poultry farms.
    报道最多的案例就是欧洲对美国“氯洗鸡”的进口禁令。美国肉类加工业使用氯水清洗鸡肉以便去除有害细菌。欧洲表示,过度依赖氯水会降低家禽养殖场整体产量和清洁度。

    U.S. officials are disputing the claim.
    美国官员驳斥了这种说法。

    Use of artificial growth hormones
    使用人工生长激素

    The European Union has also banned imports of meat from American cows that have been treated with artificial growth hormones. Natural hormones control growth in animal or plant cells.
    欧盟还禁止进口使用人工生长激素的美国牛肉。天然激素控制动植物细胞的生长。

    American farmers use artificial hormones to increase the size of animals or to increase milk production. But EU officials warn that one commonly used growth hormone may cause cancer. They add there is not enough scientific information on other hormones to approve their use in food.
    美国农民使用人工激素来提高动物的体型或增加产奶量。但是欧盟官员警告说,某种常用生长激素可能会致癌。他们还说,也没有足够科学资料证明其它激素可以在食品中使用。

    U.S. officials have made it clear that any future trade deal with Britain must see these food bans dropped.
    美国官员明确表示,未来与英国达成的任何贸易协议都必须先抛弃这些食品禁令。

    Former U.S. lawmaker Darrell Issa is President Donald Trump's choice to lead the U.S. government's Trade and Development Agency. Issa says that the millions of Britons visiting the United States every year enjoy perfectly safe food.
    美国前议员达雷尔·伊萨(Darrell Issa)是川普总统钦点的美国贸易发展署署长。伊萨表示,每年有数百万访问美国的英国人都食用了完全安全的食物。

    "We'd like to have that arrangement being one in which, in Britain, you can choose to have American chicken, American beef, or other agricultural products, just as you could when you come to the United States. It is a key lynchpin of an agreement. Financial, manufacturing and agriculture have to be free and fair."
    他说:“我们希望有这样的安排,你在英国也能选用美国鸡肉、牛肉等农产品,就像你来美国时一样。这是协议的关键一环,金融、制造业和农业都必须自由平等。”

    The U.S. ambassador to Britain, Woody Johnson, recently wrote about the issue in Britain's The Telegraph newspaper. He attacked what he called "myths" over American farming, claiming they are part of an effort to protect the interests of British farmers.
    美国驻英国大使伍迪·约翰逊(Woody Johnson)最近在英国《电讯报》上撰文谈到了这个问题。他攻击了对美国农业的“流言”,称这是为了保护英国农民利益。

    British food quality concerns
    英国食品质量担忧

    Britain has repeatedly said that it will not lower food quality rules after it leaves the EU. In answer to Ambassador Johnson's comments, British international trade minister Liam Fox said his country would not compromise.
    英国一再表示离开欧盟后不会降低食品质量规定。英国国际贸易部长利亚姆·福克斯(Liam Fox)在回应约翰逊大使的言论时表示,英国不会妥协。

    Fox spoke to the British Broadcasting Corporation.
    福克斯接受了英国广播公司的采访。

    "Will we accept things that we believe are against the interests of our consumers or our producers? No, we won't. It's a negotiation."
    他说:“我们会接受那些我们认为侵犯消费者或生产商利益的事情吗?不,我们不会接受,这是谈判。”

    The dispute over American meat imports is also influencing debate over the Irish border, a major issue in Britain's attempt to cancel its EU membership.
    关于美国肉类进口的争议也影响到了在爱尔兰边境问题上的争议。爱尔兰边境是英国试图退出欧盟时遇到的一个重要问题。

    British and EU officials want to avoid border inspections between Northern Ireland, which is part of Britain, and the Republic of Ireland, an EU member state. Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar recently expressed fears that the border could open a back door into the EU. In other words, EU members might import products that fail to meet their food safety requirements.
    英国和欧盟官员希望避免在作为英国一部分的北爱尔兰和作为欧盟成员的爱尔兰共和国之间实行边检。爱尔兰总理利奥·拉拉德卡(Leo Varadkar)最近表示担心这一边境可能会打开欧盟的后门。换句话说,欧盟成员国可能会进口不满足食品安全要求的产品。

    Varadkar told reporters, "If at some point in the future the United Kingdom were to allow chlorinated chicken or beef with hormones into their markets, we wouldn't want that coming into our markets or the European Union as well."
    拉拉德卡对记者表示:“如果将来某个时候英国允许“氯洗鸡”或是含有激素的牛肉进入英国市场,我们也不希望它们进入我国市场或是欧盟市场。”

    The United States says a trade deal would help British industries, like financial services. And Britain appears interested in strengthening its position in the post-Brexit world as an international trading power.
    美国表示,贸易协议将会有助于英国产业,像金融服务业。英国似乎有兴趣加强该国在脱欧后作为国际贸易大国的地位。

    I'm Jonathan Evans.
    我是乔纳森·埃文斯。(51VOA.COM原创翻译,禁止转载,违者必究!)