File No. 821/39–40.
[Inclosure—Translation.]
The Minister for Foreign
Affairs to Ambassador Francis.
Imperial and Royal Ministry of Foreign
Affairs,
Vienna, February 27,
1908.
In the requests made in the esteemed notes F. O. No. 31, of November
6, 1906; F. O. No. 62, of February 16, 1907; F. O. No. 142, of
January 20, 1908, by which it was asked that an alteration should be
made in the ministerial decree of July 5, 1906 (R. G. Bl. No. 138),
whereby meat imported from America and accompanied by a certificate
to the effect that it had been examined and found healthy should be
admitted into Austria-Hungary; and, further, that an alteration in
the ministerial decree of December 4, 1891, (R. G. Bl. No. 168),
whereby port meat imported from America should no longer be required
to be accompanied by a certificate of American officials to the
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effect that it had been
thoroughly examined microscopically for “trichina,” the undersigned
begs to communicate to His Excellency Mr. Charles S. Francis, the
ambassador of the United States of America, the following decision
of the Imperial Austrian and the Royal Hungarian Governments.
Taking into consideration the fact that in most of the non-European
countries, and especially in the United States of America, the
enormous number of cattle is such that the administration of the
veterinary laws and reports of cattle diseases are not so arranged
that we are able to have a continuous insight into the veterinary
police conditions of such countries, as is the case in European
countries; also for the reason that the number of animals which are
duly slaughtered at the great meat exporting houses, with their ever
expanding business, is so extensive that an inspection of the
animals both before and after slaughtering can not, for purely
technical reasons, take place as with us; therefore, the request
made to permit the importation of cattle and meat of American
origin, with certain restrictions, can not be allowed, for the
reason that the foreign product would thereby receive a more
favorable treatment than the similar native product, and this could
not be permitted as being clearly a departure from the usual
international observances in such matters.
In consideration of the above conditions, and for sanitary and
veterinary reasons, the importation of cattle and meat from
non-European countries can only be permitted in accordance with
ministerial decree of July 5, 1906 (R. G. Bl. No. 138), whereby
permission must be obtained from the competent officials in the case
of each separate importation.
In this connection it should not be passed unnoticed that the United
States has been particularly well treated by the above mentioned
decree of December 4, 1891 (R. G. Bl. No. 168), whereby the
importation of hogs, hog meat of all kinds, bacon and sausages of
all kinds, from the United States of America is allowed under
certain regulations, governing the microscopic examination of hog
meat for “trichina.” It should be noticed that this law is still in
force, in spite of the extremely bad sanitary conditions which were
reported to have existed in the great meat exporting houses—a fact
admitted by the Government officials. This condition of affairs was
so bad that there has been almost a question of forbidding the
importation of American meats altogether.
The Austrian and Hungarian Governments must further call attention to
their good will shown to American interests by the fact that
recently an importation of hog meat from America, which was
accompanied by a certificate as having been found healthy, was,
after its arrival, found undoubtedly to contain trichina. In spite
of this state of affairs and resulting consequences the importation
of American pork meat has not been restricted.
With reference to the recent request of the American embassy that
permission need not be obtained in each separate case for the
importation of meats of all kinds from America, and that pork meat
shall not be accompanied by a certificate of official microscopic
examination, the Governments of Austria and Hungary, having in view
the stated requirements of sanitation and veterinary police
regulations, can not grant the request.
It may here be mentioned that with regard to such matters other
States, as for example the German Empire, are much more severe. In
Germany the importation, or transportation through the country
itself, of cattle or fresh beef meat from America is absolutely
forbidden, and importation of meats of other kinds from America is
only permitted in accordance with the German regulations governing
meat inspection. According to these regulations the importation of
certain articles of meat is forbidden without any exception, and for
other meats the regulations are so extremely severe that it is
almost impossible for the importer to comply with them. This,
therefore, practically amounts to absolute prohibition.
The undersigned avails, etc.
For the Minister.
