Under The New Trade Policy, The Pakistani Government Permits The Export Of Donkey Hides.

According to a notice, the Ministry of Commerce’s Export Policy Order has been amended by the Pakistani government to conditionally authorize the export of donkey hides.

The action basically eliminates a 2015 prohibition that the Economic Coordination Council (ECC) issued due to worries that donkey meat was being sold in several towns under “bogus names of beef and mutton”.

Only businesses that operate in authorized and designated donkey slaughterhouses within the “Gwadar Free Zone” are permitted to export donkey hides under the updated policy. The notification also announced that the Export Policy Order’s export prohibition rule would be formally eliminated.

Pakistan has finalized procedures with China for the export of “donkey meat and hides”, as well as other agricultural products including “onions, potatoes, and chillies”, the Senate Standing Committee on Commerce was told last year.

Animal welfare issues are still a major problem, though. Around six million donkeys are killed each year out of (55.5 million) worldwide, according to an advisory workshop on working animals that was held in August.

The meeting warned of the growing risks associated with the donkey skin trade in Pakistan while highlighting the value of “donkeys, mules, and horses” in supporting the livelihoods of communities that are disadvantaged or excluded.