【精英翻譯】的部落格

Struggling farming school in Hokkaido revived by its lamb products／苦撐辦學的北海道農校靠羊肉產品起死回生

精英翻譯社轉自：https://features.ltn.com.tw/english/article/paper/1314285

◎張沛元

An agricultural high school in Japan’s northern prefecture of Hokkaido － its survival once at stake due to a shortage of students － has bounced back by earning fame through the delicious lamb produced by its students.

一度因招生不足以致生存岌岌可危的一所位於日本北方省份北海道的農業高中，已憑藉該校學生製作的可口羊肉製品打響名聲，進而逆勢反彈。

The Embetsu agricultural high school, the sole high school in the town of Embetsu in northern Hokkaido, has about 60 students and owns around 25 hectares of land used. It keeps around 20 to 40 Suffolk sheep, a breed from Britain, with students mainly handling the breeding of animals and processing of meat.

北海道北部遠別町唯一一所高中遠別農業高等學校，有約60名學生與擁有約25公頃的土地。該校養了20到40頭英國品種的薩福克羊，養育動物與肉品加工主要由學生們一手包辦。

At school events, it has sold meat processed into lamb slices, ground lamb and sausage. But it had been struggling due to the declining number of incoming students, leading authorities to consider whether they should close the school.

該校在舉辦校園活動時會販售加工為羊排、羊絞肉與羊香腸的肉製品。但該校過去曾招生不足而苦撐，當局甚至考慮是否要廢校。

The turning point came about four years ago, when the town began sending the school’s lamb products as one of the return gifts to people who donated money to the municipality under the country’s so-called hometown tax donation scheme.

轉捩點出現在約4年前，該校所在的遠別町根據日本的所謂「故鄉納稅」制度，開始把該校的羊肉製品當成送給捐款給遠別町的民眾的回禮之一。