Ejiao Act

Ejiao (pronounced “eh-gee-yow”) is a gelatin made from boiling the hides of donkeys. It is used primarily in cosmetics and traditional Chinese medicines. Despite little scientific evidence of its purported health benefits, demand for ejiao is increasing dramatically in China and other countries.

The United States is the third-largest importer of products containing ejiao, after Hong Kong and Japan, with approximately $12 million in annual imports each year. Nearly 6 million donkeys are slaughtered annually to produce ejiao—a rate that could halve the world’s donkey population in the next few years.

This cruel global trade causes tremendous animal suffering and severely impacts communities that rely on donkeys for survival. Donkeys fetch water from miles away, take kids to school, assist in construction and farming, transport goods and produce to market, and even carry the elderly to the hospital. To meet the demand for ejiao, some donkeys are stolen from their owners and transported long distances in overcrowded trailers without food, water, or adequate rest. Infections or broken limbs are left untreated, and those donkeys who die in transport may be skinned on the spot—with their remains discarded by the side of the road. Those who survive the journey are often bludgeoned to death on arrival. 

Originally introduced in 2021, the Ejiao Act would prohibit the transport, sale, and purchase of ejiao products, as well as donkeys and donkey hides for the production of ejiao. Penalties under this legislation mirror those under the Lacey Act—widely regarded as one the strongest federal laws in the United States to protect a wide range of species from illegal trade and exploitation. 

Ejiao production involves severe animal cruelty, raises serious human health and safety concerns, and threatens to decimate populations of these trusted animals who are so integral to communities across the world. Passage of the Ejiao Act would ensure that the United States no longer supports this cruel, destabilizing, and dangerous trade.