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International trade of donkey skin pressures a species symbol of the semi-arid, exposes traceability failures in Brazil, and led the Senate and Federal Justice to advance measures against slaughter amid the accelerated decline of these animals’ population in the country.
The trade of donkeys to supply the Chinese skin and collagen industry has begun to affect a species historically associated with the northeastern semi-arid, in a scenario marked by animal abandonment, low traceability, and accelerated herd reduction in Brazil.
In Ceará, animals informally traded for values ranging from R$ 1 to R$ 10 enter an international chain where the skin, after processing, can reach about R$ 1,500 in the Asian market, according to information attributed to specialists consulted on the subject.
The pressure on the species led the Senate’s Human Rights and Participatory Legislation Committee to approve, on the last 20th, the transformation of SUG 9/2025 into a bill to prohibit the slaughter of donkeys throughout the national territory.
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Presented by the National Forum for Animal Protection and Defense, the legislative suggestion began to be processed as a proposal after being accepted by the committee, according to Senate records on the matter and the progress of the discussion in the committee.
Among the arguments presented in the debate are animal protection, the risk of extreme reduction of the species, and sanitary concerns related to the origin and transport of animals destined for slaughter.
The committee’s report indicates that the way of transporting and commercializing the slaughtered donkeys can affect biosecurity and harm the image of Brazilian agribusiness, a sector that depends on recognized sanitary standards in international markets.
Donkey skin trade exposes traceability failures
Although donkey skin supplies an activity associated with ejiao, a product made with collagen and used in China, specialists assert that this chain does not present sustainable bases to consolidate as an opportunity for local agribusiness.
The low reproductive capacity of the species, combined with the lack of control over the origin of the animals and the impacts of prolonged transport, is pointed out by researchers and animal protection entities as an obstacle to a large-scale breeding model.
Patrícia Tatemoto, campaign coordinator for The Donkey Sanctuary in America, states that the gestation of donkeys lasts between 12 and 13 months and, under normal conditions, usually results in only one offspring.
According to the specialist, reproductive maturity and full physical development usually occur between three and five years, a pace considered distant from that observed in commercial cattle farming.
“In commercial farming, many female cattle already enter reproduction between 14 and 24 months, and the gestation of cows lasts about 9 months,” the specialist compares.
Another point mentioned by Tatemoto is the sensitivity of donkeys to stress, overcrowding, and long journeys, factors that can increase the risks of abortion, illness, and death of the animals during the transport chain.
This assessment is reinforced by studies mentioned by The Donkey Sanctuary in reports on the international trade of donkey skins and its effects on local populations.
A study from the University of Reading estimated that a herd of 200,000 females, kept in highly favorable conditions, would take 15 years or more to produce 1.2 million skins.
The annual demand of the ejiao industry, according to the organization, is estimated at at least 5.9 million animals slaughtered worldwide, a number exceeding the replacement capacity pointed out by the cited studies.
Northeastern donkey lost traditional economic function
In Brazil, the traditional function of the donkey was mainly linked to rural work, not to industrial-scale production, as explained by researchers studying the relationship of the species with communities in the semi-arid region.
For decades, the animal was used for transporting water, cargo, and people in the semi-arid region, especially in areas where poor roads and long distances made daily access to motor vehicles difficult.
With the expansion of motorcycles, tractors, and automobiles, some of these animals ceased to have the same economic function in rural communities, which contributed to increased situations of abandonment and circulation on public roads.
Without a structured formal market and with low resale value, many donkeys began to be captured or traded for reduced values, fueling a chain based more on removing animals from roads and properties than on planned breeding.
“It is precisely for this reason that no major agribusiness group in Brazil has been interested in developing a formal donkey breeding chain to this day. Nowhere in the world is the sale of donkey hides economically viable given the current and growing demand in the ejiao market,” says Tatemoto.
Professor Débora Façanha, from the Animal Science postgraduate program at the Federal Rural University of the Semi-Arid, also points out difficulties in forming a structured production chain.
In the researcher’s assessment, before discussing economic returns, it is necessary to recognize the ecological, historical, and cultural value of the northeastern donkey and to build policies aimed at conserving the species.
Donkey population fell by more than 94% in Brazil
The donkey population in the country has seen a sharp decline in recent decades, according to data compiled by The Donkey Sanctuary from sources such as FAO, IBGE, and Agrostat.
The surveys released by the entity indicate that the Brazilian herd fell from 1.37 million animals in 1999 to about 78 thousand in 2025, representing a reduction of over 94%.
In Ceará, the available numbers also show a significant decline in the number of donkeys, a species long associated with the productive and social daily life of rural areas in the state.
Between 1995 and 2017, the number of donkeys fell from 193,176 to 53,233 heads, a drop of over 72%, according to data mentioned in surveys on the Ceará herd.
Still in 2017, establishments with donkeys represented just over 12% of the nearly 299 thousand agricultural establishments existing in Ceará.
The Ceará Economic Development Secretariat reported that there is no commercial work focused on donkeys in the state, which limits the existence of specific monitoring of the activity.
In a statement, the department said that without formal activity, there is also no record of entrepreneurs interested in investing in the sector, described by the agency as a practice historically treated informally.
Animals captured in Ceará are sent to slaughterhouses in Bahia
The commercialization in Ceará occurs mainly through the capture of abandoned donkeys or the purchase of animals at very low prices, according to information from specialists and entities that monitor the chain.
After this stage, the animals are gathered in holding farms and transported to Bahia, where Brazilian slaughterhouses associated with the export of derivative products to China are located.
The units mentioned by specialists and animal protection entities are located in Amargosa, Itapetinga, and Simões Filho, municipalities in Bahia linked to the processing of animals destined for external trade.
Since the economic focus of the activity is on the skin, the meat tends to play a secondary role in the chain and, according to reports from entities monitoring the sector, may have limited commercial use.
The Donkey Sanctuary points out lack of transparency about origin, slaughter volume, transport routes, sanitary conditions, and destination of carcasses as one of the main problems of the international skin trade.
The entity also states that the absence of a specific customs code for donkey skin makes it difficult to accurately measure the trade and increases uncertainties about the real scope of the activity in the country.
Among the health concerns cited by specialists are diseases that can circulate among equids, such as glanders, a severe zoonosis that requires strict control by agricultural authorities.
For animal protection entities, the lack of traceability increases the risk of disease spread and can generate impacts that go beyond the discussion of animal welfare.
Federal Court prohibits donkey slaughter in Bahia
In Bahia, a state associated with the slaughterhouses mentioned in the donkey skin export trade, the activity was prohibited by a decision of the 1st Federal Court of the State’s Judicial Section.
The ruling, issued in April 2026, determined the prohibition of the slaughter of donkeys, mules, and hinnies by recognizing mistreatment, inadequate transport, and risk to the species’ survival.
The decision partially upheld a public civil action filed by animal protection entities against the Union, the State of Bahia, and the State Agricultural Defense Agency of Bahia.
According to the Federal Court, the process discussed failures related to the handling, transport, and slaughter conditions of these animals, as well as possible impacts on the maintenance of the donkey population.
Internationally, the discussion about the donkey skin trade has also advanced in regional organizations, especially in countries where these animals have an economic and social role relevant to rural communities.
In February 2024, the African Union approved a continental ban on the slaughter of donkeys for the skin trade, a measure adopted to curb the effects of external demand on local populations of these animals.
Conservation of the Northeastern Donkey Enters the Debate
For Débora Façanha, one of the necessary measures is to expand the population survey, strengthen conservation actions for the northeastern donkey, and discuss strategies for the social reintegration of the animal.
The professor also advocates for studies aimed at racial recognition of the species, an initiative that, according to her, could genetically value these animals and guide specific preservation policies.
“This breed is not yet recognized by the Ministry of Agriculture. Breeders place great value on animals that have a breed, that have a pedigree. The northeastern donkey is one of the breeds, but we have another breed there in Minas Gerais and São Paulo, which is the Pêga donkey. It has a very high value,” says Débora.
The comparison with the Pêga donkey is used by researchers to show how racial recognition can influence the economic perception of certain groups of animals.
According to the book Biodiversity of Ibero-American Equids, registered specimens of this breed can range from R$ 15,000 to more than R$ 100,000, depending on genetics, lineage, and age.
In addition to discussions on conservation, research is also seeking alternatives to the use of slaughtered animals in the production of collagen for markets that currently demand donkey derivatives.
Patrícia Tatemoto cites studies from the Federal University of Paraná aimed at developing donkey collagen in the laboratory, without directly relying on the slaughter of animals.
The research is still in its initial phase, but entities following the topic believe that the technology could open a new market associated with the laboratory production of collagen.
In Ceará, the Detran reported having collected 549 abandoned donkeys along state highways between January and April 2026.
After collection, the animals are sent to regional support corrals and, if not claimed by their owners within seven days, are sent to the agency’s farm in Santa Quitéria, where they remain under care.
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