VOA标准英语2012--Developing Countries See Sharp Rise in Meat Consumption

Developing Countries See Sharp Rise in Meat Consumption

 

As the world population rises, the demand for meat, eggs and airy products is soaring in developing countries. The Worldwatch Institute warns that without safeguards the demand could strain the environment and pose public health risks.

Worldwatch says both production and consumption of animal products are increasingly concentrated in developing countries. In fact, it says, the demand in those countries has increased at what it calls a staggering rate in recent decades.

“Over the last 30 years, the number of farm animals – and that includes both four-footed livestock¹ like cattle and pigs and goats and sheep, as well as poultry² – has increased about 23 percent since 1980. So now we have about 20 billion farm animals worldwide and again that includes chickens and pigs and cattle, sheep and goats,” said Danielle Nierenberg, director of the institute’s Nourishing the Planet project and co-author of the report on farm animal populations.

She said there are two main reasons for the increase.

“Urbanization and rising incomes particularly in developing and emerging countries. China, Brazil, India – they’ve all seen their middle class or consumer class rise over the last 30 years. And what tends to happen when people have a little bit more money to spend is they spend it on higher quality food. They tend to buy more milk or cheese or meat,” she said.

Large-scale production

Farm animal production, she said, provides a “safety net” for millions of vulnerable people. However, she says that production often takes place on factory farms, or CAFOs, concentrated animal feed operations.

“The demand is being met by industrial animal operations or factory farming. This is a style of farming that really originated in Europe and the United States in the 1950s and 60s, where thousands or even tens of thousands of the animals are confined in huge barns or sheds,” she said.

She said this type of mass animal production can need a lot of resources or inputs³ to operate.

“They require a lot of fossil fuel energy for heating and cooling. They require tremendous amounts of soy and corn for animal feed. They depend on antibiotics⁴ to keep these animals healthy because again they’re in really confined, crowded, often dirty conditions and so animals tend to get sick when they’re altogether without fresh air like that,” Nierenberg said.

The Worldwatch Institute report says factory farms produce huge amounts of waste, which can contaminate ground water. And it says farm animal production accounts for about 18 percent of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions⁵, especially methane⁶ and nitrous oxide⁷.

Health concerns

There’s also concern that such farming practices will lead to the extinction⁸ of indigenous⁹ cattle breeds, as production centers on just a few breeds like the Holstein and Jersey¹⁰. But the indigenous breeds may be more tolerant of heat and drought and less susceptible¹¹ to climate change.

Nierenberg said the increase in meat consumption in developing countries is understandable.

“In the developing world, particularly sub-Saharan Africa, meat can be a tremendous boost to people’s diets. It can provide important nutrients¹² that they weren’t getting before, especially for malnourished populations; and it can really help people, especially children, develop better. But what we’re seeing not just in the industrial world but also in developing countries is over-consumption of meat. Because it’s cheaper than it’s ever been more and more people can consume it,” she said.

People in developed nations continue to eat the most animal products. But the report says the “appetite for animal products is stagnating¹³ or declining in many industrial countries.” It attributes that to a growing awareness¹⁴ that diets high in animal fat and meat may contribute to obesity¹⁵, diabetes¹⁶, cardiovascular disease and some types of cancer. For example a recent study in the Archives of Internal Medicine, concluded that red meat consumption is associated with a greater risk of cardiovascular disease and cancer. The study said other healthy protein sources are associated with a lower mortality risk.

Some critics of the study say the growing health problems in developed nations have less to do with meat and more to do with a large consumption of sugar.

The co-author of the Worldwatch Institute report has called for a rethinking of meat consumption. That is, eating it just a few times week instead of several times a day; and making meat a part of the meal, not always the main course.

“Agriculture is not just about increasing meals. It’s about creating a system that nourishes both people and the planet. That helps communities earn enough incomes so that they can both grow food and buy food. It’s a system of agriculture that doesn’t depend on industrial inputs or harming animals. It’s a system of agriculture that’s really more holistic,” she said.

Investments in agriculture have increased since the food crisis of 2007/2008. The world population is expected to rise from the current seven billion to nine billion by 2050.

1 livestock   

n.家畜，牲畜

参考例句：

• Both men and livestock are flourishing.人畜两旺。
• The heavy rains and flooding killed scores of livestock.暴雨和大水淹死了许多牲口。

2 poultry   

n.家禽，禽肉

参考例句：

• There is not much poultry in the shops. 商店里禽肉不太多。
• What do you feed the poultry on? 你们用什么饲料喂养家禽?

3 inputs   

n.输入( input的名词复数 )；投入；输入端；输入的数据v.把…输入电脑( input的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• Uncheck the inputs checked for optimization in the previous stage. 不测试那些已经测试过的优化了的以前步骤的inputs.（变量参数）。 来自互联网
• Just in case, save in a file the inputs obtained at the previous stage. 以防万一，保存以前步骤获得的inputs（变量参数值）到一个文件中去。 来自互联网

4 antibiotics   

n.（用作复数）抗生素；（用作单数）抗生物质的研究；抗生素，抗菌素( antibiotic的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• the discovery of antibiotics in the 20th century 20世纪抗生素的发现
• The doctor gave me a prescription for antibiotics. 医生给我开了抗生素。

5 emissions   

排放物( emission的名词复数 )； 散发物（尤指气体）

参考例句：

• Most scientists accept that climate change is linked to carbon emissions. 大多数科学家都相信气候变化与排放的含碳气体有关。
• Dangerous emissions radiate from plutonium. 危险的辐射物从钚放散出来。

6 methane   

n.甲烷，沼气

参考例句：

• The blast was caused by pockets of methane gas that ignited.爆炸是由数袋甲烷气体着火引起的。
• Methane may have extraterrestrial significance.甲烷具有星际意义。

7 oxide   

n.氧化物

参考例句：

• Oxide is usually seen in our daily life.在我们的日常生活中氧化物很常见。
• How can you get rid of this oxide coating?你们该怎样除去这些氧化皮？

8 extinction   

n.熄灭，消亡，消灭，灭绝，绝种

参考例句：

• The plant is now in danger of extinction.这种植物现在有绝种的危险。
• The island's way of life is doomed to extinction.这个岛上的生活方式注定要消失。

9 indigenous   

adj.土产的，土生土长的，本地的

参考例句：

• Each country has its own indigenous cultural tradition.每个国家都有自己本土的文化传统。
• Indians were the indigenous inhabitants of America.印第安人是美洲的土著居民。

10 jersey   

n.运动衫

参考例句：

• He wears a cotton jersey when he plays football.他穿运动衫踢足球。
• They were dressed alike in blue jersey and knickers.他们穿着一致，都是蓝色的运动衫和灯笼短裤。

11 susceptible   

adj.过敏的，敏感的；易动感情的，易受感动的

参考例句：

• Children are more susceptible than adults.孩子比成人易受感动。
• We are all susceptible to advertising.我们都易受广告的影响。

12 nutrients   

n.（食品或化学品）营养物，营养品( nutrient的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• a lack of essential nutrients 基本营养的缺乏
• Nutrients are absorbed into the bloodstream. 营养素被吸收进血液。 来自《简明英汉词典》

13 stagnating   

v.停滞，不流动，不发展( stagnate的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• I feel I'm stagnating in this job. 我觉得，干这份工作我没有长进。
• ITT was stagnating when Geneen became the chief executive officer in 1959. 1959年吉宁出任行政总负责人时，国际电话电报公司正处于不景气时期。 来自辞典例句

14 awareness   

n.意识，觉悟，懂事，明智

参考例句：

• There is a general awareness that smoking is harmful.人们普遍认识到吸烟有害健康。
• Environmental awareness has increased over the years.这些年来人们的环境意识增强了。

15 obesity   

n.肥胖，肥大

参考例句：

• One effect of overeating may be obesity.吃得过多能导致肥胖。
• Sugar and fat can more easily lead to obesity than some other foods.糖和脂肪比其他食物更容易导致肥胖。

16 diabetes   

n.糖尿病

参考例句：

• In case of diabetes, physicians advise against the use of sugar.对于糖尿病患者，医生告诫他们不要吃糖。
• Diabetes is caused by a fault in the insulin production of the body.糖尿病是由体內胰岛素分泌失调引起的。