Action Centre / New Bill Could Spare Australian Donkeys Live Export for the Vile ‘Ejiao’ Industry

New Bill Could Spare Australian Donkeys Live Export for the Vile ‘Ejiao’ Industry

Australian Senators Lee Rhiannon and Derryn Hinch have introduced a Bill that, if passed, would prohibit the live export of horses and donkeys for the purpose of slaughter overseas for ejiao.

The ejiao industry is vile. PETA has released shocking eyewitness footage captured inside Chinese facilities that show donkeys, some as young as 5 months old, being bludgeoned on the head with a sledgehammer. Their throats are then cut, and they’re left to die. Others face the same terrifying death after enduring a long journey to the abattoir.

At every facility visited by PETA Asia’s observer, donkeys were confined to small, filthy concrete-floored pens. Kept outdoors, they were only partially protected from the elements by a tin roof, and many were seen standing in their own waste. The only water available to them was dirty and green with algae. One donkey was so malnourished that his ribs stuck out. Another was so sick that he couldn’t walk, so he was dumped into the bucket of a tractor and hauled away.

If passed, the Export Control Amendment (Equine Live Export for Slaughter Prohibition) Bill would spare Australian donkeys this cruelty.

The market for ejiao is growing rapidly – the cruelly obtained ingredient can be found in beverages, candy, and even beauty products. Donkeys are now being imported into China for slaughter from other countries in Asia and from nations in the Middle East, Africa, and South America in order to meet the demand.

The Northern Territory government already permits exports of donkey hides to China—which fuels the ejiao trade—and is hoping to expand this business by implementing a live-donkey export industry. Last year, the then Minister for Agriculture Barnaby Joyce endorsed the potential trade of donkeys with China, telling businesses, “We’re going to make sure if you want to eat donkey skins, you’re going to eat our edible donkey skins.”

If the proposed Bill is passed, it would ensure that the export of equines – including horses, ponies, and donkeys – to be killed in overseas abattoirs will never begin. Please take a moment to contact senators from your state:

  • Ask them to support Senators Rhiannon and Hinch’s Export Control Amendment (Equine Live Export for Slaughter Prohibition) Bill.
  • Tell them about the cruel ejiao trade, and share PETA’s exposé of the industry: https://www.peta.org.au/news/prevent-the-export-of-live-donkeys-to-horrendous-chinese-ejiao-trade/.
  • Let them know that you care about the well-being of donkeys, horses, and ponies.

You can find your senators’ contact details here.

Please also urge Australia’s Agriculture Minister to reject any plans to send live donkeys to be slaughtered in China. Learn more and contact the government here.