This is the VOA Special English Agriculture Report.
这里是美国之音慢速英语农业报道。
Antibiotics are used to cure bacterial infections. But about fifty years ago, farmers started to give small amounts of these drugs to healthy animals in their feed. Scientists found that antibiotics improve the growth rate of animals.
抗生素用于治疗细菌感染。但是大约50年前，农民开始向健康牲畜的饲料中添加少量抗生素。科学家们发现，抗生素可以提高牲畜生长速度。
But the practice soon led to criticism. Public health experts observed antibiotic-resistant bacteria growing in these animals. Experts say bacteria develop resistance from continual exposure to antibiotics. And resistant bacteria can make it harder to treat infections in humans.
但这种行为很快招致批评。公共卫生专家在这些牲畜中发现了抗生素耐药细菌。专家表示，细菌通过持续接触抗生素产生了耐药性。而耐药细菌会使得治疗人类细菌感染更加困难。
Today big livestock producers around the world use antibiotics for animal growth. Some countries are considering restrictions or already have them. South Korea is banning the practice in July. The European Union began to enforce a ban five years ago. Several EU members had already stopped the practice before that.
今天世界各地的大型牲畜生产商都使用抗生素来促进牲畜生长。一些国家正在考虑或已经作出限制。今年7月，韩国将开始禁止使用抗生素。欧盟五年前就已经执行禁令，而一些欧盟成员国则早在此之前就已停止使用抗生素。
In the United States, the Food and Drug Administration first proposed to ban antibiotic use in healthy animals in nineteen seventy-seven. Congress, however, asked for more research. Today there is no ban. But in June of last year the FDA asked producers to stop the practice over time.
1977年，美国食品和药品管理局首次提出禁止在健康牲畜中使用抗生素。然而，国会要求对此进行更多研究。今天美国并无任何相关禁令。但去年六月，美国食品和药品管理局要求牲畜生产商随着时间的推移逐步停止使用抗生素。
That recommendation was not enough for some critics. Five environmental and consumer groups are asking a court to force a ban by the federal agency. Steve Roach is with the group Food Animal Concerns Trust, or FACT.
对批评人士来说，这个建议是远远不够的。五个环境和消费者组织要求法庭强制联邦机构出台禁令。。史蒂夫·罗奇（Steve Roach）任职于食用动物关怀信托组织(Food Animal Concerns Trust).
STEVE ROACH: "As far as we can tell, all they were trying to do was kindly ask the industry to make changes. And we just do not believe that is [an] adequate response."
罗奇：“据我们所知，食品和药品管理局只是建议性要求牲畜生产业做出改变，而我们认为牲畜生产业不会对此做出适当回应。”
His group wants the government to ban the use of two common antibiotics at levels below those used to treat sick animals.
他所在的组织希望政府禁止两类常用抗生素在低于治疗患病牲畜剂量水平的使用。
STEVE ROACH: "After thirty years, I think it is time for someone to put a little more pressure on them. And that is what the aim of the lawsuit is."
罗奇：“三十年过去了，我认为对某些人来说，是时候向他们施加更多压力了。而这就是我们这次诉讼的目的。”
Supporters of low-level antibiotic use in animals say there is no solid evidence linking it to drug-resistant infections in humans. They also say that in addition to increasing growth, the drugs help suppress diseases in animals confined together in large feeding operations.
支持在牲畜中使用低剂量抗生素的人表示，没有确凿证据表明这种行为和人类耐药性细菌感染有关。他们同时表示，除了促进牲畜生长，抗生素还能抑制大型饲养场所封闭
饲养的动物的一些疾病。
Ron Phillips is with the Animal Health Institute, a trade group for the animal-drug industry. He says suppressing animal disease means a safer food supply.
罗恩·菲利普斯就职于美国动物卫生研究所（Animal Health Institute），这是一家动物制药行业的贸易组织。他表示，抑制动物疾病意味着食品供应更加安全。
RON PHILLIPS: "Sicker animals result in greater contamination on the meat. So the way to control pathogens on the farm, so that they do not transfer through the food chain, is to make sure we have healthy farm animals."
菲利普斯：“动物疾病加重意味着肉类污染更严重，因此，在农场中抑制致病菌，这样细菌就不会进入食品链。这种做法是为了确保牲畜的健康。”
Experts say the largest source of resistant bacteria is the overuse and misuse of antibiotics among people.
专家表示，耐药细菌的最大源头是人类滥用和误用抗生素。