OpEd by Andrea Jenkins – Donkeys of Australia
Over the past few months I have read many articles about donkeys. There was one article I read a couple of weeks ago though that really hit a nerve.
The article included a stunning picture of a donkey, gazing out from his paddock. The barb wire that cut across in front of him indicated that he stood just behind a fence. It led me to imagine a stranger stopping road side with camera in hand, readying the exposure for the autumn sunlight and the yellow daisies. He waits, aware that the donkey has his ears pricked and stands attentive to this new energy invading his home. Curious, this gentle, wise creature meanders over to say hello. The stranger shoots and then is gone, taking a moment in time with him to use as he wishes.
I don’t know this donkey personally. Perhaps he is your donkey? Or someone you know? I imagine other photos he stands in, cuddled by the grandkids, lazing in the sun, a beloved family member that sits in frames on the mantelpiece for the world to see.
I’d love to own this donkey, yet I’m happy I don’t. I don’t think I could bare it. The stranger has not taken this particular photo to show how cherished and adored this donkey is. Mortified, I read the caption: good enough to export.
Yes, sadly, this donkey has become the latest face for donkey export to China. He is pitted next to the words of Barnaby Joyce as a creature with a price tag, an economic commodity, an edible product worthy of export. The nerve it struck was raw. It rocked me to my core. How can we be asked to look at this magnificent creature and see it as a dead product being shovelled into the mouths of those that search for a miracle elixir for eternal youth and vitality?
I guess I shouldn’t have been surprised. Like I said, I’ve read many articles about donkeys over the past few months. In fact, I’ve read, watched, spoken on the phone and data analysed the horrors the ‘insatiable’ appetite for Ejiao brings crashing to our shores.
It’s been extremely challenging for me to witness the creature I love more than anything get decimated in such a brutal way, but I feel I must walk with them through this struggle as they have walked with us through constant struggles throughout time. I must stand with them now and help their voices be heard. It is with their characteristic traits of love, compassion and humility that I proceed to further my education and, hopefully, the education of others, with regard to the issues facing Australian donkeys.
I am sure many of you have read the horrors that are linked with the donkey skin trade. I’m sure you have read that what is, essentially, donkey poaching, has become a regular occurrence in some parts of Africa. I’m sure you have read about the exorbitant prices donkeys are now selling for and the fact that those living in rural villages can no longer afford to replace their donkeys, leaving them without a means to collect their water or send their children to school. I’m sure you’ve heard of the donkey slaughter houses, the string of animal welfare concerns and the shocking statistics that draw many to believe our beloved donkeys are vanishing from this world. I am not sure, however, that you have been able to find much information on the current Australian situation and what it means for Australian donkeys.
So here I am, writing this article for you. It is my aim in writing that I am able to summarise what I have learned, to date, on Ejiao and how this skin trade is expected to affect our Australian donkeys . I am by no means claiming to be an expert on the matter. I am simply one girl who uses Google and the telephone and has been willing to dive into the hay stack, so to speak, and try and find some answers. This brings me to the second aim in writing this article. It is also a desperate cry for help. It is my wish that we may come up with a structure for research and action together as we venture forward with, and for, our beloved donkeys. What I write now details the journey Ejiao has taken me on so far.
When I first heard whispers that China wanted our donkeys, I wrapped myself in the safety net I, and many others, naively believed we had. It seemed that we did not have the numbers of donkeys required to make the idea of donkey export viable. That teamed with the vast and unforgiving landmass the donkeys inhabited seemed to make the cost too much for a return that was far too small. It still seemed that culling was the preferred method of eradication.
Yet, as time passed, donkey populations in China—and globally—started to dwindle, demand for Ejiao skyrocketed, pressure on global markets to supply the increase in demand grew exponentially and the viability of exporting donkeys to China suddenly changed as the price tag kept rising. Pressured with ongoing enquiries the Northern Territory Department of Primary Industry and Resources (NTDPIR) compiled a report into the potential of donkey farming in the Northern Territory (September 2016).
Again, even though the report ultimately found that donkey farming was viable, either as a stand- alone venture or complimentary to the cattle industry, I thought we had a safety net. The safety net seemed to be that there was no Tier 2 processing facility and no operational export protocols to China. Reading that the capital outlay required for such a facility would be somewhere between the $50-$100 million mark and knowing there were no operational protocols for export to China made it sound, again, that the donkeys were to stay on Australian shores.
Yet, as I researched further and talked to more people on the phone I began to understand the saying ‘where there’s a will there’s a way’ really does apply to the situation here. Everywhere I turned looking for the next piece of the puzzle I got offered a piece that didn’t fit. I found that when I stopped allowing myself to get distracted by the technical jargon of protocols I, instead, found a big picture with most of the puzzle already in place. Like I say, I am only one girl and I am fully aware that I have more research to go, yet this is how I have come to see the big picture so far.
China wants our donkeys. The Australian agribusiness sector wants to expand export opportunities and make as much money as possible. Station owners want the feral donkeys gone. Farmers want ways to diversify their stock to get them through tough times. Multi-species abattoirs are being built with heavy Chinese investment. Chinese investment in Australian agribusiness is seen as desirable. Trial kills of donkeys are currently happening. More wild donkeys are already being rounded up. The Coalition Government has recently signed a Joint Statement with China to hugely expand market access for Australia’s red meat and live animal export industries to China. Barnaby Joyce is publicly announcing that Australia will be providing edible donkey skins to China and pushing it as a big, new market. Tariffs on hides and skins exported to China are being eliminated between 1st January 2017 and 1st of January 2022. The price of wild donkeys being rounded up and sold has already drastically increased.
So what does this all mean? Yes, China will be getting our donkeys. There may be a few little things to sort out in terms of protocols but it is happening. No one is standing in the way and stopping things from progressing forward. Most of the information I have read indicates that wild donkeys will be rounded up and breed as livestock for the Ejiao trade. Edible donkey skins will be exported to China. Some of the donkey meat will be sold within Australia as pet meat. Some of the meat will be sold internationally for human consumption. It also seems that, as the export market to China opens up under these new trade agreements, donkeys could potentially be live exported to China as well.
Even as I write that last sentence, my heart breaks a new. Not only will I be living in a country that potentially has no wild donkeys left. Not only will I be living in a country with fields of donkeys tagged and fattened ready for the slaughterhouse truck. I will also be living in a country that makes the conscious choice to send sensitive, emotional, smart, alive creatures on a ship, destined for a place of unfathomable animal cruelty. Do you think you can live in the country I describe? Unfortunately, this is what we are facing.
Of course there are obvious animal welfare concerns as are always evident with creatures subjected to the tortures of live export, yet there are more subtle and insidious concerns at play too. One thing I am concerned about is that wild donkeys are to be rounded up and sold as breeding stock. Will the breeding jennies have any much needed maintenance and care? Will their hooves be trimmed? Will their health be attended to? An ongoing animal welfare issue with the Ejiao trade is the lack of donkey healthcare as it is only the skin that is deemed valuable making money spent on overall health a waste of finances.
Another concern is the distances donkeys will be transported to abattoirs. The multispecies abattoir being built in Charleville will apparently be transporting donkeys from the Northern Territory and perhaps even South Australia. Will these donkeys be given the required rests, food and water? How tightly will they be packed in? If rounded up from the wild and trucked, how are foals and pregnant jennies going to be cared for? How will they be treated as they are rounded up, trucked and, ultimately, slaughtered? As ‘pests’ donkeys are not given the same protective rights as other animals in Australia. I will admit that I don’t know how far their protective rights are striped due to their classification as pests yet it is important to ensure that their welfare is adhered to at all stages of transport and processing.
Yet another concern I have is how will this big, new market be regulated? Can anyone start farming donkeys? How is the government going to monitor who is involved in this trade and how this trade is carried out on a day-to-day basis? As the avenues for export open up, there needs to be regulation on this trade, right from the small, hobby farms to the largest stations in the country, along with any wild stock that are mustered and sent straight to slaughter. Many of the people who are going to be involved are experienced in the needs of cattle and are not educated when it comes to donkeys. It is my desire that, for those joining this industry, they are required to gain further donkey specific education.
Now I write about my biggest concern: that our wild donkeys will become extinct and we will either be left with donkeys stuck in a horrific cycle of breeding and slaughter or with no donkeys left at all. This concern comes from a couple of factors. One factor is that no one knows how many donkeys we have to start with. There has been no accurate headcount of donkeys in Australia ever. Yet those, like Barnaby Joyce, who are pushing donkey skins as the next big industry, claim on a very public platform that Australia has millions of wild donkeys. This is simply not the case. The NTDPIR has a far more realistic estimate of the number of wild donkeys, stating that they believe there are roughly 50 thousand donkeys in the Northern Territory—although this figure is thought to be about ten years old and is not considered reliable. If we don’t know how many donkeys we have in the first place, how can we know if this trade, and the way it is to be carried out, will be sustainable?
Another factor is that, with the current Ejiao demand, upwards of 4 million donkeys are already believed to be slaughtered each year and the global donkey population literally cannot keep up. This is being reported with the dwindling of numbers in different parts of the world. It is believed donkey populations in China have halved, Mexican donkeys are considered endangered and some are predicting that, if things don’t change, the African donkey could be extinct in as little as five years If indeed our donkey population is somewhere between 50,000 and 100,000 our donkeys could be wiped out be Ejiao demand in a matter of weeks. Even if farming does occur in the near future, stock numbers will need to be built up and stabilised. This will take time as donkeys have a long gestation period and do not breed well in stressful situations. If export opens up as we expect it could under these new trade agreements and wild donkeys are sent straight to multi-species abattoirs for processing it might not be long before they are all gone.
In conclusion, I would like to ask that we unite in action going forward. I know it might seem too big an issue to tackle or too graphic an issue to engage with. This does not have to be the case. No action towards this cause will be wasted. Everything counts. I know signing petitions may seem pointless but they are not. One petition to help Australian donkeys, that has over 5,000 signatures, has been mentioned in a news articles that details Barnaby Joyce and his new donkey skin trade desires. It is important that we continue to make our voices heard.
Another suggestion for action is to research a small part of the situation here and report it back to the various donkey societies, or to the facebook page I have created. An area for research might be to keep an eye on how many donkeys are being rounded up, record prices of donkeys at auctions and who is buying, figuring out if the abattoirs near you are exporting donkeys, monitor the news for further information etc. If you are happy to engage with media you could look for news reporters and TV hosts that are willing to run a section on Ejiao (in a respectful manner). You could apply pressure on different organisations to get an accurate population count so that we have more reliable information on the sustainability of the skin trade. You could help change the classification of donkeys as ‘pests’ so they are granted more protective rights.
There are so many ways you can help. Even if it means simply sharing your own donkeys with the wider public more and more in an effort to alter common misconceptions associated with donkeys, perpetrated by the Australian media. It is important that more people come to realise how smart, sensitive and loving these creatures are. The more that people connect with the donkeys, the more of a movement we will be able to create to support them through this crisis.
I thank you so much for taking the time to read the article I have put together and I hope it is has been informative. Below, I have added links to information I have collected and the points that have been touched on through this article. I have also attached the ‘Under the Skin’ campaign by the Donkey Sanctuary UK. If you would like to stay updated on the Ejiao trade, please sign up. Lastly, I would like to say feel free to follow my new Facebook page ‘Donkeys of Australia’. I have set it up with the aim of creating an information hub. Thank you once again for reading and I look forward to working with you to ensure a bright and sustainable future for our donkeys.
Links:
Under the Skin https://www.thedonkeysanctuary.org.uk/under-the-skin
Donkeys of Australia https://www.facebook.com/Donkeys-of-Australia-1088323071303237/
Petitions:
https://www.change.org/p/adam-giles-please-don-t-allow-china-to-export-our-australian-wild- donkeys
New Trade Agreements http://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/2017/03/24/donkey-meat-beef- agriculture-australia-china-trade-wider-ever
New Trade Agreements http://www.skynews.com.au/news/top-stories/2017/03/24/china-talks- trade–prosperity-with-turnbull.html
Donkey Farming Report https://dpir.nt.gov.au/primary-industry/agricultural-developments/donkey- farming
Multi-Species Abattoir Charleville http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-11-08/charleville-processing- plant-set-to-open-2017/8004938
AACo Abatoir becomes multi-species abattoir http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-11-11/aaco- darwin-abattoir-buffalo-slaughter/8012144
Application to export to China under new trade agreements http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-04- 07/aust-agricultural-company-applies-access-china-beef-market/8417796
Old article indicating the tone of the media when commenting on donkeys-
AusTrade-Information on Tariffs http://dfat.gov.au/trade/agreements/chafta/fact- sheets/Pages/chafta-opening-new-opportunities-for-australian-products-in-china.aspx
Categories: Horse Slaughter, The Force of the Horse, Uncategorized, Wild Burros
Straight from the Horse's Heart 
I have concerns that China is having an AG meeting in California on May 9th. Since donkeys and horses have now been designated as livestock, a discussion of transporting livestock to China may well cause our burros/donkeys to be caught up in the skin trade too.
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Miss Abby, I know of only two states who have designated horses as livestock, what is the source of your information this is everywhere?
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To my knowledge there are no states which designate equines as companion animals rather than livestock.
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Looking horses and donkeys up under animal law sites finds them listed universally listed as livestock.
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CONSUMER POWER…let’s use it.
While airlines ban hunting trophy shipments, UPS says it won’t bow to controversy
By Sarah Larimer
The policies of airlines and shipping companies are drawing extra attention and scrutiny following the death of one of Africa’s most iconic lions, which was killed in a hunt this summer.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2015/08/03/delta-air-lines-bans-freight-shipments-of-lion-hunting-trophies/
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Brightlingsea Animal Export Protests
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Thanks for the video about live exports of sheep from England, Louie. Autralia has been doing this for years and also killing kangaroos for leather and pet food. Brumies are killed too of course .
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Some humans are the lowest form of scum
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I wonder if there are some Chinese who are or will be opposed to this practice? If so, how can they be reached?
“Here in the West… narratives of power, dominance, and a kind of manifest destiny pervade — civilization is seen as a victory over nature, and any other response is framed as radicalism or capitulation. But there are interesting signals appearing from the East. In the last few years, China has put forth a different, aspirational model of development — to become an “ecological civilization,” rooted in Confucian concepts of harmonious environmental, material, social, and spiritual development. Of course, nobody fully knows yet what that means in practice, but it’s an important narrative opening.”
https://onbeing.org/blog/andrew-zolli-toward-a-contemplative-ecology/?utm_source=On+Being+Newsletter&utm_campaign=7d64523608-20170429_sandberg_grant_newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_1c66543c2f-7d64523608-69745097&goal=0_1c66543c2f-7d64523608-69745097&mc_cid=7d64523608&mc_eid=5ce6ded46a
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It is deeply disturbing Australian officials would get in bed with Chinese investors to exploit helpless, innocent and gentle donkeys for their skin to produce Jiao, which the Chinese erroneously and superstitiously believe will increase longevity. This industry is inhumane, immoral and purely greed driven. China has no animal protection laws, and skinning of animals alive routinely takes place on millions upon millions of tortured animals every year. It is appalling the Australian government would allow this to happen, much less whole heartedly support such a barbaric venture by loosening export laws that protect animals from live export, to be brutalized in Chinese slaughterhouses. The majority of Australians and the Western world are against such barbaric horrific exploitation of animals. And we are fed up to our eyeballs of leaders acting in their own avaricious self interests for financial gain. Slaughter has no place in a humane civilization. We need new leaders who get this, and can lead the world to become a truly humane civilization in practice, and not in name only. ENOUGH IS ENOUGH IS ENOUGH!!!
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Yes it is extremely disheartening that our Australian government is so keen to create these new trade pathways into China purely in the name of money. I do not understand how our leaders can still be pushing for live export as the evidence mounts up against it. We jump on board to make money with no long term vision for the future, with little to no attention paid to animal welfare and without caring for, seemingly anything but the financial value. It is my hope that we can save the donkeys from extinction, create safe places for them to live and repurpose them in a positive light throughout Australia. Donkeys are far more valuable than as an edible product. The Australian Teamster donkeys have evolved from stock imported from India, other parts of Asia, Mexico and Spain. They are big, strong, hardy animals that we need to protect.
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This makes protecting our American Wild and domestic Donkeys and Horses doubly important. China has over I billion people, as such China as a country is capable of decimating our entire planet of all her resources. This is incredibly frightening. How will our animals survive such an onslaught of over a billion Chinese people who believe in “magic potions” made of different kinds of animals in the 21st century no less. My God, educating the people of China is not going to be an easy task as the greedy ones of the western world will run to fill the “need” of the 1 billion Chinese. To these people everything and everyone is of no value other than as a profit to their pocket. We need to voice our opposition to this in a very loud voice by getting the word today out of what is to come if we ignore this!
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Further to your point of servicing the cultural demands of 1 billion people in China; an estimated 10-20% of Chinese consume dogs and cats for meat as well as fur. Estimates are 10 million dogs and 4 million cats tortured and killed every year. More Asian countries particularly South Korea are also known to torture and consume millions of dogs and cats by the millions. However, while China is torturing helpless dogs and cats we are killing 56 billion farm animals every year; excluding fish and sea creatures who’s numbers are not counted, but measured in tons. Animals are sentient beings, social animals, and proven to experience empathy, bond with their young, their groups; risk their lives to save others, i.e. loyalty and courage. And have shown many traits we value superior as human beings in a humane civilization. If we want to nudge China’s attitude toward a more humane civilization, we need to raise the bar on our own culture. The science-based statistics of the past four decades is in, that proves humans are biologically vegan/plant-based animals, and that all meat and dairy consumption is not only unnecessary, but unhealthy; causing cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, dementia, thyroidism, and more. If we sincerely want to save our burros and horses, we need to address what’s going on in our own backyard, and educate Americans on the facts of health and plant-based diet as opposed to the ignorance we so fastidiously protect in our meat protein obsessed culture. We cannot pass judgment on another country’s culture and values otherwise. It is deemed by the Chinese as hypocritical, and that is a hard fact we cannot deny. So while we pass judgement on their traditional medicinal beliefs, which albeit truly have no scientific basis, we need to come to terms with our own ignorant traditional cultural biases as we kill billions of innocent, helpless animals every year. The truth will come to bear increasingly to more and more Americans, that slaughter has no place in a humane civilization. As we evolve to an actual humane civilization in reality, we can then suggest to other countries they educate their people toward more humane goals.
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