Brooke USA Foundation (Brooke USA) is delighted to announce its upcoming webinar with US Congressman Don Beyer (D-VA), sponsor of H.R. 5203 – the Ejiao Act. The webinar, taking place on Friday, May 20 from 2 p.m. to 3 p.m. EST, focuses on updating Brooke USA constituents and other friends on the status of the Ejiao Act as it makes its way through the House of Representatives and on to the Senate floor. The webinar will be moderated by Virginia State Delegate Alfonso Lopez.
During the one-hour webinar both Rep. Beyer and Virginia Delegate Lopez will discuss the legislative process, the challenges and opportunities facing the bill and what constituents can do to help secure co-sponsors and garner the attention of Members of Congress and other officials.
With limited capacity, interested parties are asked to pre-register on Zoom at:
https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_mXt53Wq3Tz6NrD7NTB-ENA.
The event is free-of-charge, in line with Brooke USA’s ongoing commitment to alleviate the suffering of working equines and the people who depend on them for survival worldwide. The Ejiao Act would restrict U.S. trade of all ejiao products made from donkey skins. The practice of creating ejiao from boiled donkey skins for use in various luxury products is decimating the species’ global population and threatening the impoverished families and communities who rely on them.
“The international trade in donkey-hide gelatin products is leading to the mass slaughter of donkeys and widespread harm to impoverished communities around the world,” Beyer has said repeatedly. “A growing number of people living in impoverished communities in the Global South are seeing animals upon which they depend stolen and killed to meet demand from the ejiao trade. The United States should take action to help shut down the importation of these products and, by extension, the illicit trade that causes such substantial harm.”
Donkeys are a major part of the working livestock sector in the developing world and support the livelihoods of millions of people. They directly provide an income and save time and money in transporting goods from field to home to market. Working donkeys also provide vital domestic support. The shock of losing a donkey can destroy a person’s livelihood and push them further into poverty.
Ejiao is a gelatin used in Chinese medicine, cosmetics, and other luxury products. While it traditionally involves boiling donkey skins, other meats, fish, or plants can be used as an alternative. According to one study published in Science.org (www.science.org), at the current rate, half of the world’s population of donkeys would need to be slaughtered in the next five years to keep up with market demand.
The United States is the third largest importer of ejiao, with $12 million in annual imports each year. The Ejiao Act would prohibit the sale or transport of any ejiao products made from donkey Hide.
The webinar will also be recorded for those who are unable to attend the live event.
About Brooke USA Foundation (Brooke USA): The mission of Brooke USA is to significantly improve the health, welfare and productivity of working horses, donkeys and mules and the people who depend on them for survival worldwide. We are committed to sustainable economic development by reducing poverty, increasing food security, ensuring access to water, providing a means to education, and raising basic standards of living through improved equine health and welfare. We accomplish this by raising funds and responsibly directing them to the areas of greatest need.
Emily Dulin
305-505-6170
Emily.Dulin@BrookeUSA.org
Kendall Bierer
561-309-9873
Kendall.Bierer@BrookeUSA.org