為什麼在歐洲牛奶比水還便宜?

Why milk is cheaper than water in Europe?

 By Ivana Kottasova  來源:CNN財經版  September 8, 2015

為什麼在歐洲牛奶比水還便宜?

Russia has banned imports, Chinese demand is weakening and limits on production have been removed. The result: a huge glut of milk.
俄羅斯禁止舶來品，加上中國需求量減弱以及對於取消生產量的限制
結果:一大噗的牛奶

 SEP. 21, 2015

There is so much sloshing around the European Union that milk is often cheaper than bottled water. A liter bottle of water costs around $1.50 in the U.K.; a liter of milk $1.

In France, milk is also around $1 per liter, similar to the price of mineral water. And in German discount supermarkets such as Lidl and Aldi, a liter of milk can be as cheap as 55 cents, while a liter bottle of water costs around 72 cents.

在歐盟裡有很多的不穩定因子，造成牛奶常常比瓶裝水還便宜。在英國一公升的水大約需花費$1.50元；而同時一公升的牛奶只要$1

在法國，牛奶的價錢也大約是一公升$1，價錢相當於礦泉水。 而在德國的廉價超級市場例如Lidl以及Aldi，一公升的牛奶可以便宜到55分錢，而同時一樣大小的瓶裝水大約需花費72分錢。  (*作者使用美元)

The slump is a disaster for dairy farmers. Thousands protested in Brussels Monday, blocking streets with their tractors, and showering police with hay and eggs.

While the price of milk in shops has fallen by around 5% this year, wholesale milk prices have collapsed by about 20% to around 37 cents.

That's forcing many farmers to sell their milk for less than it costs them to produce it.

這樣的價格暴跌對於酪農來說是一場災難。上千的酪農於星期一在布魯塞爾抗議，用拖曳機阻擋街道，用乾草以及雞蛋為武器對警方示威。

今年以來牛奶的零售價已經降低5%上下；批發的牛奶則驟降了20%，到達一公升約37分錢。

這樣的價格慘跌逼迫許多農民用比生產牛奶所需的成本更低廉的價錢賣出。

The EU said Monday it will provide farmers with 500 million euros ($555 million) in emergency support to help them cope with the plummeting prices.

Europe's dairy farmers were already reeling from the food embargo imposed by Moscow last year in retaliation for Western sanctions over Ukraine.

Russia was one of the EU's biggest markets for dairy products, accounting for 32% of cheese exports and 24% of butter exports.

歐盟在星期一表示會提供農民5億歐元幫助他們應對一落千丈的價格。

在歐洲的酪農已經被莫斯科去年因為烏克蘭的事件對於西方的制裁，所強制的報復禁運令搞得人仰馬翻。

俄羅斯是歐盟中最大的乳製品市場之一，佔了32%的起司出口以及24%的奶油出口

A slowdown in demand from China, the world's biggest milk importer, is also hurting the dairy industry. China is a big buyer of powdered milk.

Europe's farmers are now calling for the reintroduction of production quotas to try to balance the market. The quotas were abolished earlier this year, leaving farmers free to produce as much as they like for the first time in 30 years.

The deregulation led to more oversupply, piling even more pressure on prices.

"Unless production is reduced, the market will carry on deteriorating at a pace," said Romuald Schaber, president of the European Milk Board, which represents dairy farmers.

中國-世界上最大的牛奶進口國，也是最大的奶粉買家，近來的需求量減緩也加重打擊了乳製品工業。

歐洲的農民現在呼籲對於生產量重新限制，試圖平衡現在的市場。在今年初，生產量限額的取消在三十年來第一次讓農民自由的生產無限量的產品。

這樣的毫無規範造成過剩的產量，對價錢的穩定造成了更大的壓力。

"除非生產量減少，不然市場會繼續以一定的速度惡化"  歐洲牛奶協會總理Romuald Schaber代表酪農說道。