英闻天下——273 EU to Hold Crisis Talks over Horsemeat Scandal

 　　EU agriculture ministers are set to discuss the horsemeat scandal which has now affected¹ up to 16 countries.

 

　　EU Health Commissioner² Tonio Borg is hosting talks in Brussels.

 

　　It follows the shock discovery last week of meat sold in Europe labelled as beef actually contained horsemeat.

 

　　Meantime, Romanian food safety officials say the country produced over 6-thousand tons of horse, mule³ and donkey meat last year, and it was correctly labelled when exported to other European countries.

 

　　This is of course part of the growing scandal over horsemeat mislabelled as beef in frozen food which has found it's way into a number of European markets.

 

　　The National Authority for Veterinary and Food Safety says 97-percent of the meat slaughtered⁴ and processed at authorised plants was sold to European countries.

 

　　However, Iulian Cazacut, is one of many slaughterhouse managers who defends his plant.

 

　　"We have always watched closely the way we work here....and we can guarantee one hundred percent that all the products Doly Com puts on the market are certified⁵ from a quality and origin point of view. One hundred percent."

 

　　A complex network of meat wholesalers is also reportedly making it difficult to trace the origins of the horse-meat, which was found in a number of products supposed to contain beef.

 

　　The French government says Romanian butchers, Dutch and Cypriot traders were part of a supply chain responsible for mislabelling horsemeat as beef.

 

　　Early this week, British supermarket chain Tesco said tests showed some samples of its frozen spaghetti bolognaise meals contained more than 60 percent horse meat.

 

　　Meanwhile one former food safety official in Britain also says contamination could be affecting lamb products.

 

　　He says retailers⁶ should start testing products ranging from lamb ready meals to doner kebabs for horse DNA⁷ as well.

1 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。

2 commissioner   

n.（政府厅、局、处等部门）专员，长官，委员

参考例句：

• The commissioner has issued a warrant for her arrest.专员发出了对她的逮捕令。
• He was tapped for police commissioner.他被任命为警务处长。

3 mule   

n.骡子，杂种，执拗的人

参考例句：

• A mule is a cross between a mare and a donkey.骡子是母马和公驴的杂交后代。
• He is an old mule.他是个老顽固。

4 slaughtered   

v.屠杀，杀戮，屠宰( slaughter的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The invading army slaughtered a lot of people. 侵略军杀了许多人。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Hundreds of innocent civilians were cruelly slaughtered. 数百名无辜平民遭残杀。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 certified   

a.经证明合格的；具有证明文件的

参考例句：

• Doctors certified him as insane. 医生证明他精神失常。
• The planes were certified airworthy. 飞机被证明适于航行。

6 retailers   

零售商，零售店( retailer的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• High street retailers reported a marked increase in sales before Christmas. 商业街的零售商报告说圣诞节前销售量显著提高。
• Retailers have a statutory duty to provide goods suitable for their purpose. 零售商有为他们提供符合要求的货品的法定义务。

7 DNA   

(缩)deoxyribonucleic acid 脱氧核糖核酸

参考例句：

• DNA is stored in the nucleus of a cell.脱氧核糖核酸储存于细胞的细胞核里。
• Gene mutations are alterations in the DNA code.基因突变是指DNA密码的改变。