由于歐洲各國暴發了史無前例的禽流感疫情，法國名菜鵝肝醬不得不暫別多家米其林餐廳的菜單。和應對新冠疫情類似，鵝肝醬生產商現在急需做好兩件事：家禽隔離和接種疫苗。

Fois gras, the French culinary jewel that is as delicious as it is controversial, is a staple of upscale restaurants across the country. But now it's vanishing from menus during an "unprecedented" crisis that has seen some manufacturers begin to consider reducing portions.

法國富有爭議的珍饈美食鵝肝醬是法國各地高級餐廳的主打菜品，但如今鵝肝醬卻要從菜單上消失了，因為一場“史無前例的”危機正迫使一些鵝肝醬生產商考慮減少供貨量。

At the heart of the problem is a bird flu epidemic that has been sweeping across the country -- and Europe -- for months. It's already devastated the country's poultry industry, but now it threatens one of the country's greatest bastions: Its Michelin-starred restaurants.

這一危機的源頭是幾個月來一場席卷法國各地和歐洲其他國家的禽流感。這場禽流感已經擊垮了法國的養禽業，但現在禽流感威脅到了法國最大的美食陣地之一——米其林餐廳。

"It's been a month since we started to have less foie gras, and then this week we got none," says Pascal Lombard, the chef and owner of Le 1862, a one Michelin-star fine dining venue in bucolic southwestern France.

法國西南部的米其林鄉野美食餐廳Le 1862的主廚兼老板帕斯卡爾·隆巴德說：“我們鵝肝醬減量供應已經有一個月了，這周我們完全沒有鵝肝醬了。”

Foie gras is no stranger to crises.

這并不是鵝肝醬第一次面臨危機。

Its traditional production, involving the force feeding of geese and ducks, has long attracted condemnation from animal rights campaigners, who have succeeded in getting such methods banned elsewhere.

鵝肝醬的傳統生產方式，包括填鴨式喂養鴨鵝，長期以來一直受到動物權益倡導人士的譴責，受其影響其他一些地方已經摒棄了這種喂養方式。

Yet while French appetites for the delicacy have been largely undimmed by concerns over animal cruelty, another threat to avian welfare is now curbing consumption.

盡管大多數法國人對鵝肝醬的好胃口沒有因為虐待動物的擔憂而受到影響，眼下家禽健康面臨的另一個威脅卻抑制了法國人對鵝肝醬的消費。

The town of Les Eyzies, where Lombard's restaurant is located, is in the heart of Périgord, one of the epicenters of the latest bird flu epidemic.

隆巴德的餐廳所在的萊塞濟鎮位于佩里戈爾的中心地帶，而佩里戈爾是最近的一波禽流感疫情的中心之一。

The country has had to kill 16 million poultry since the epidemic first started in November 2021 to try to control the disease, the French Agriculture Ministry confirmed to CNN.

法國農業部向美國有線電視新聞網證實，2021年11月首次暴發禽流感之時，為了控制疫情法國被迫宰殺了1600萬只家禽。

"This number is unprecedented for France, which had never been exposed to a crisis of such scale," said Marie-Pierre Pé, director of France's interprofessional committee for foie gras producers.

法國鵝肝醬生產商專業委員會主任瑪麗-皮埃爾·佩說：“宰殺的家禽數量在法國是史無前例的，法國從來沒有經歷過這么大規模的家禽危機。”

Foie gras production in France is expected to drop by up to 50% this year as the epidemic affects 80% of foie gras producers in the country.

由于疫情影響到了法國80%的鵝肝醬生產商，法國的鵝肝醬產量預計今年將減少多達50%。

A veteran of the foie gras industry with 35 years of experience, Pé is no stranger to avian influenza. Like seasonal outbreaks in the human world, bird flu hits Europe almost every year when birds migrate to and from Africa.

作為一位擁有35年經驗的鵝肝醬產業老將，佩對禽流感并不陌生。就和人類世界的季節性流感一樣，幾乎每年在飛鳥自非洲遷徙往來時歐洲都會暴發禽流感。

This year the epidemic emerged in spring and reached the Pays de la Loire region in the west and Périgord territory in the southwest -- two crucial poultry production areas in France.

今年春季禽流感在法國暴發后已蔓延至法國西部的盧瓦爾河地區和法國西南部的佩里戈爾，這兩地都是法國的家禽主產區。

Pays de la Loire alone represents 72% of the ducks and geese hatched in France's foie gras industry, according to Pé.

據佩介紹，單是盧瓦爾河地區就出產了法國鵝肝醬產業所需的72%的鴨鵝。

To make the situation worse, other major foie gras producing countries in Europe are also facing a similar crisis, making it hard to make up for the shortfall via imports.

雪上加霜的是，歐洲其他的鵝肝醬高產國也面臨著同樣的危機，這讓法國無法通過進口來填補鵝肝醬缺口。

Bird flu has been detected across the European Union since October 2021, including in European Federation of Foie Gras member states Spain, Belgium, Bulgaria and Hungary, according to the latest European Commission report on the epidemic.

根據歐盟關于禽流感的最新報告，自2021年10月以來歐盟各國就相繼發現禽流感，包括歐洲鵝肝醬聯盟會員國西班牙、比利時、保加利亞和匈牙利。

To bring the epidemic to an end and help production return to normal level in 2023, Pé and her fellow foie gras producers rely on two words that the Covid pandemic has made very familiar: isolation and vaccination.

為了終結禽流感，幫助家禽產量在2023年回歸到正常水平，佩和她的鵝肝醬生產商同行要依靠兩個因為新冠疫情而變得耳熟能詳的詞：隔離和接種疫苗。

In areas where bird flu is detected, producers are sheltering ducks and geese to ensure that there is no contamination with migratory birds.

在檢測到禽流感的地區，家禽生產商要給鴨鵝搭建養殖舍，確保遷徙的飛鳥不會傳染病毒給它們。

This requires producers to reduce the number of poultry at their farm so they have enough space indoors to accommodate them, according to Pé.

佩指出，生產商需要減少農場飼養的家禽數量，這樣才有足夠的室內空間來容納它們。

Two vaccine candidates are on clinical trial, but they won't be available until 2023 at the earliest, Pé said.

佩說，現在有兩種候選疫苗正在進行臨床試驗，但最早要到2023年才能上市。

Back in Les Eyzies in southwestern France, chef Lombard is working on new dishes to fill the void left by the foie gras shortage.

在法國西南部的萊塞濟，主廚隆巴德正在研發新菜品以填補鵝肝醬供應緊張留下的空白。

"2022 will be the year with a bit more vegetable dishes and less meat." Lombard said.

隆巴德說：“2022年將是菜多肉少的一年。”

英文來源：美國有線電視新聞網

翻譯&編輯：丹妮