Behind the planned takeover of Smithfield Foods Inc. SFD +0.61% by China's biggest meat processor is an intensifying push by the Asian nation to industrialize its archaic food-production system to address rampant health problems and feed an increasingly wealthy population.

中国最大的肉类加工企业计划收购Smithfield Foods Inc.的背后是，中国加大力度推进其过时的食品生产体系的工业化，以便应对中国普遍存在的健康问题，满足日益富裕的民众的食品需求。

In addition to Smithfield's enormous distribution network and market share in the U.S., owning the American company would enable Shuanghui International Holdings Ltd. to borrow from Smithfield's playbook to speed the development of hog farms and processing plants in China that mirror the U.S. system.

除Smithfield在美国的庞大分销网络及市场份额外，若将这家美国企业纳入囊中，双汇国际控股有限公司(Shuanghui International Holdings Ltd.)还可以借鉴Smithfield的做法，在中国加快建设类似于美国体系的养猪场和肉类加工厂。

The meat business in the U.S. has been refined over decades into a system of mass production similar to making cars or televisions. Last year, 62% of the hogs in the U.S. were raised on farms with at least 5,000 head, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. They're often housed in vast, climate-controlled buildings, fed specialized diets of corn and soybean meal, and processed into bacon and ham by big companies like Smithfield in highly mechanized factories designed to ensure the meat is free of disease and contamination.

几十年来，美国的肉制品行业已经发展成为一个类似于汽车和电视生产的量产体系。据美国农业部的数据显示，去年，美国有62%的生猪是在规模在5,000头以上的养猪场养殖的。这些猪常常生活在带有气候控制系统的巨大猪舍中，吃的是玉米和大豆混合而成的特种饲料，出栏后由Smithfield这样的大公司在高度机械化的工厂中加工成培根和火腿，这样的工厂旨在确保猪肉没有疾病和污染。

China, the world's largest consumer of pork by far, has made strides in modernizing its system, but much of its meat production remains small-scale and outmoded. As of 2010, some 70% of pork in China still came from farms that produced fewer than 500 hogs a year, and 38% from farms with fewer than 50 hogs, according to the U.S. Meat Export Federation. Conditions on smaller farms can be squalid, with a lot of physical contact between farmers and animals, which can transmit disease. And meat processing is equally fragmented: China had some 14,720 pig slaughterhouses by the end of 2012, compared with about 600 in the U.S.

中国目前是全球第一大猪肉消费国。中国在实现肉制品行业现代化方面一直在大步前进，但其大部分肉类生产仍规模小且过时。据美国肉类出口协会(U.S. Meat Export Federation)的数据显示，截至2010年，中国约有70%的猪肉仍来自年产量不足500头猪的养猪场，有38%来自年产量不足50头猪的养猪场。较小的养猪场条件可能很脏，猪农和猪之间有大量的身体接触，这可能会导致疾病传播。此外，肉类加工也同样分散化：截至2012年底，中国有约14,720个生猪屠宰场，相比之下美国约有600个。

Chinese authorities and experts say the disjointed system is much harder to regulate and makes it more difficult to avoid bad practices. They have blamed the problem in large part for scandals that have gutted Chinese consumers' confidence in the nation's food supply, from tainted milk formula that killed six infants and poisoned some 300,000 others in 2008, to a series of incidents involving meat contaminated with illegal additives and frequent outbreaks of foot-and-mouth disease, swine flu, and other illnesses. This year, thousands of dead pigs were found in rivers around Shanghai─a spectacle authorities blamed on irresponsible farmers.

中国有关部门和专家说，分散化的系统更难以监管，更难以避免不良操作。他们很大程度上将中国的食品安全丑闻归咎于此，食品安全丑闻令中国消费者对中国食品供应的信心消失殆尽。其中包括2008年的三氯氰胺事件，当时受污染的配方奶粉造成六名婴幼儿死亡，约300,000人中毒；此外，还有一系列与非法使用添加剂有关的肉制品事件和时不时爆发的口蹄疫、猪流感和其他疾病。今年，上海附近河流发现数千只死猪，有关部门将其归咎于不负责任的养猪户。

China's government has pushed modernization, in part by offering subsidies for farmers to build their herd sizes. Chinese companies such as China Mengniu Dairy Co. 2319.HK +0.74% and Shuanghui International have increased the scopes of their operations. And big multinational food companies like Yum Brands Inc. YUM -1.24% are also urging consolidation of farming in China. Yum, which runs its KFC and Pizza Hut chains in China, pledged in February to cut all small scale chicken farmers from its supply chain after negative publicity over one of its suppliers caused sales to plummet.Bright Dairy & Food Co.'s 600597.SH -1.85% 2010 purchase of a 51% stake in New Zealand's Synlait Milk Ltd. marked an effort to adopt modern dairy processing techniques following China's infant formula scandal.

中国政府一直在推进现代化，一定程度上是通过向农户提供补贴来建立养殖规模。中国蒙牛乳业有限公司(China Mengniu Dairy Co.)和双汇国际等中国企业一直在扩大运营规模。此外，百胜餐饮集团(Yum Brands Inc.)等大型跨国食品公司也在推动中国的养殖业进行整合。百胜在中国运营有肯德基(KFC)和必胜客(Pizza Hut)。由于围绕百胜一个供应商的负面报道引发销售大幅下滑，今年2月，百胜承诺将从供应链中剔除所有的小规模养鸡场。2010年，光明乳业股份有限公司(Bright Dairy & Food Co.)收购新西兰Synlait Milk Ltd. 51%的股权，这是在中国曝出婴幼儿配方奶粉丑闻后，中国企业采用现代化乳制品加工工艺的一项努力。

China's efforts are happening at the same time that the U.S. system of food production faces burgeoning backlash from critics at home who deride it as 'factory farming' that contributes to less-healthful food and environmental problems. A series of documentaries and best-selling books that take issue with the U.S. food industry have helped fuel rising demand for meats and other foods made by organic producers, sometimes on small farms. Some of those critics have complained that the Shuanghui-Smithfield deal will exacerbate such problems as complex supply chains and food-contamination risks.

与此同时，美国食品生产体系正面临着本土批评人士的强烈抵制，他们嘲讽这是一种工厂化饲养体系，不仅生产出不健康的食物，还会造成环境问题。一系列反对美国食品业的纪录片和畅销书都在一定程度上刺激了人们对有机食品生产商（某些情况下是通过小农场）提供的肉类和其它食品的需求。那些批评人士中有人抱怨说，双汇收购Smithfield的交易会让复杂的供应链和食品污染等因素带来的风险加大。

But despite some problems─Smithfield has had a handful of food recalls in the past decade─the U.S. meat-processing industry is generally seen as a global leader in food safety as well as being highly efficient. 'The U.S. meat industry has done a remarkable job of making our meat supply safer,' said Bill Marler, a Seattle lawyer who has represented victims of food-borne illnesses from meat and other food products for two decades.

过去10年，Smithfield有过几次食品召回，但尽管存在一些问题，美国的肉类加工业在食品安全方面基本上一直被视为全球领导者，并且效率很高。西雅图的律师马勒(Bill Marler)说，美国肉类产业在供应安全方面做得十分出色。过去20年，他一直为那些因食用肉类和其它食品感染疾病的受害者打官司。

Smithfield has played a major role in consolidation with acquisitions in the 1990s that turned it into the world's biggest hog farmer. Its plants have capacity to slaughter as many as 110,000 hogs a day. In its last fiscal year, it processed nearly 28 million. Its control of each stage of production helps Smithfield to trace back any problems with pathogens and address them.

上世纪90年代，Smithfield在以收购促整合方面发挥着重要作用，那些收购使它成为全球最大的生猪养殖企业。该公司旗下工厂每天可屠宰生猪11万头，上一财年加工生猪数量接近2,800万头。Smithfield控制着每个生产环节，如出现任何病原体，有助于追溯并解决问题。

'Their traceability is superb,' said John Mabry, an Iowa State University professor who specializes in swine genetics. 'If they can control everything from reproduction of pigs to processing to the grocery store, they can control food safety.'

美国艾奥瓦州立大学(Iowa State University)研究猪遗传学的教授马布里(John Mabry)说，Smithfield的追踪能力是一流的，如果他们能控制从生猪繁殖到加工再到杂货店等一切环节，他们就能控制食品安全。

Smithfield declined to comment.

Smithfield不予置评。

Shuanghui has grappled with food-safety problems. In 2011, Chinese health inspectors found clenbuterol─a food additive banned in China and the U.S.─in pork products from its subsidiary. The company apologized on its website and said it discontinued partnerships with producers using the additive, which speeds muscle growth in pigs but can cause headaches and an irregular heartbeat when consumed by humans.

双汇一直在努力应对食品安全问题。2011年，中国卫生检查人员发现双汇子公司的猪肉产品中有克伦特罗，这种在中美两国都禁用的一种食品添加剂。双汇在网站上为此事道歉，说已切断与使用克伦特罗生产厂商的合作关系。克伦特罗会加速猪的肌肉生长，但人摄入之后会出现头痛和心律失常等症状。

While Shuanghui and Smithfield have said a big part of the proposed $4.7 billion deal would be to increase imports of Smithfield's pork into China and expand the distribution of those products, Shuanghui also appears intent on relying on the expertise of Smithfield's management team to enhance its pork-processing facilities in China. Shuanghui Chairman Wan Long said Wednesday the deal would give Shuanghui access to Smithfield's 'best practices and operational expertise' as the company seeks to meet soaring appetite for pork from China's growing population.

虽然双汇和Smithfield表示，这桩规模47亿美元的拟议交易中很大一部分将是增加Smithfield的猪肉进口到中国的数量，并扩大这些产品的销售，但同时，双汇似乎有意依靠Smithfield管理团队的专长来强化中国的猪肉加工设施。双汇董事长万隆上周三说，在双汇寻求满足中国不断增长的人口对猪肉不断飙升的需求之时，这桩交易将令双汇得以了解Smithfield最优秀的操作和运营专长。

Hogs in the U.S. are primarily raised in large, enclosed buildings on farms that tend to be spaced miles apart from each other. This helps control disease because the hogs generally have little to no exposure to other animals─including from neighboring farms─and limited contact with human caretakers.

美国的生猪主要饲养在农场里的大型封闭建筑中，互相之间间隔很远。这有助于控制疾病，因为这些猪基本上很少或不会与其他动物接触，包括附近农场的动物，同时与人类饲养员的接触也很有限。

U.S. hog farms follow strict protocols to prevent and contain disease outbreaks, and many have close working relationships with veterinarians.

美国生猪养殖场遵循严格的规定来防止和遏制疾病的爆发，很多养殖场同兽医有密切的合作关系。

'When you put pigs in a barn, it's like sending kids to school: One snotty nose in class and everyone has it,' said Mike Haag, who raises 1,200 hogs on his Emington, Ill., farm, most of which are sold to Cargill Inc., one of the biggest U.S. meatpackers.

在美国伊利诺伊州埃明顿(Emington)的农场饲养了1,200头生猪的哈格(Mike Haag)说，在牲口棚养猪就好比把孩子送到学校：班上只要有一个孩子流鼻涕，全班都会受到感染。哈格饲养的生猪大部分都卖给美国最大的肉类加工厂之一嘉吉公司(Cargill Inc.)。

Smithfield and other pork producers in the U.S. follow a set of guidelines developed by the National Pork Board, an industry group, called the 'Pork Quality Assurance Plus' program that governs the feeding and care of pigs. The system is voluntary, but 84% of the U.S.'s pork producers have gotten certified under the program, representing 75% of the U.S. pig inventory, according to the pork board.

Smithfield和美国其它猪肉生产者遵循一套由行业组织全美猪肉生产商理事会(National Pork Board)制定的指导方针。这套名为Pork Quality Assurance Plus的方针规定了生猪的饲养和照看方法。该理事会说，是否遵循这一方针是自愿的，但84%的美国猪肉生产商都得到了该项目的认证，占美国生猪存栏量的75%。

Most American hog farmers won't allow someone who has visited another hog farm to come inside theirs for at least 48 hours. Visitors have to wash their hands and suit up in boots and coveralls supplied by the farm. Delivery trucks have to be washed and sanitized before entering some farms. In a method known as all-in, all-out production, a barn that houses a group of hogs sent to slaughter is washed before another group of hogs enters.

大多数美国猪农不会允许至少在48小时之内曾经拜访过另一个养猪场的来宾进入自家猪场。来宾必须洗手，并穿上农场提供的靴子和连体工作服。进入某些农场前，运输卡车必须清洗和消毒。在所谓的“全进全出”(all-in, all-out)生产方式中，一群被送到屠宰场的生猪离开牲口棚后，牲口棚必须进行清洗，然后另一群生猪才能进来。

When a pig is sick, most farmers quarantine it in a 'treatment pen,' where antibiotics are given only when necessary.

如果一头猪生病了，大多数养殖者会将其隔离在“治疗围栏”中，只有在必要时才会给其使用抗生素。

In China, slaughtering methods vary and it is unclear how often pigs are stunned first so they don't feel pain. In the U.S., partly in response to complaints by animal-rights activists, handlers at slaughterhouses are supposed to keep pigs calm by moving them along in small groups, and the animals are required to be rendered unconscious and unable to feel pain before they are killed.

在中国，屠宰方法各不相同，也不清楚屠宰场先将猪击昏之后进行屠宰（这样猪不会感到疼痛）的频率有多高。在美国，屠宰场负责屠宰的工人需要一小群一小群地将待宰猪分离出来，以便让猪群保持平静。屠宰前，猪必须进入昏迷状态，且无法感到疼痛。此举部分是为了响应动物权利活动人士的投诉。

About half of U.S. slaughterhouses render pigs unconscious by applying electrical prods near the head and heart of the pigs. The other half expose pigs to carbon dioxide─a method pioneered in Europe that has gained favor in America in the past decade because the process prevents meat from bruising and some animal rights advocates feel it is more humane. In the carbon dioxide method, groups of five or six pigs are loaded into an elevator and then lowered into a chamber containing the gas. When they come out they are limp and unconscious. In both cases, the pigs are killed by puncturing their throats.

大约一半的美国屠宰场通过电击猪的头部和心脏令猪丧失意识。另一半则将猪暴露于二氧化碳浓度较高的环境中。这一方式是欧洲率先使用的，过去10年中在美国逐渐受到欢迎。因为这一方法可避免猪肉出现瘀伤，且主张动物权利的人士认为这一方法更加人道。在用二氧化碳对猪进行昏迷时，五六头猪会被赶到一部升降机中，然后升降机会下降到一个充满二氧化碳气体的房间。电梯再次上来时，猪已经跌跌撞撞失去意识了。无论使用哪种方法进行昏迷，屠宰场都是用刺穿喉部的方法将猪杀死。

U.S. pigs sent to slaughterhouses are tattooed so that the meat can be traced back to the farm. U.S. Department of Agriculture inspectors are stationed at every U.S. meatpacking plant, where they look for signs of illness upon entry, conduct random samples to detect whether the meat contains antibiotics and where they inspect the organs and skin of the slaughtered pigs for disease.

在美国，送到屠宰场的猪都会被打上标记，这样猪肉可以溯源。美国农业部会向国内每个肉类加工厂派驻督察员。在生猪进入屠宰场前，督察员会检查生猪是否有生病的迹象，在屠宰之后进行随机抽检，以确定猪肉是否含抗生素，同时还会检查猪的内脏和皮肤，以确定是否患病。

China, in contrast, doesn't have government inspectors on site for the whole process at each meat-processing facility. Some modernized facilities have regular inspectors on hand, according to the USDA.

相比之下，中国并没有向每个肉类加工厂派驻政府监察员，以现场监督生猪屠宰的整个过程。美国农业部说，一些现代化的屠宰场会安排监察员定期巡检。