The head of the Farmers Syndicate in Egypt, Hussein Abu-Saddam, warned that some unscrupulous people will slaughter donkeys to export their hides, with the meat sometimes ending up into restaurants.
In statements to Al-Nahar TV on Sunday, Abu-Saddam assured that several fraudulent cases have been dealt with.
He added that the number of donkeys in Egypt has declined from three million in the 1990s to less than one million today.
Abu-Saddam attributed this decline to several reasons, most notably the high cost of raising donkeys, along with the growing demand for exported donkey hides, which can sometimes fetch up to US$300.
Farmers in Egypt have moved away from raising donkeys due to the high cost of daily feeding, the availability of more advanced means of transportation, and the declining need for donkeys, he explained.
Abu-Saddam stated that any remaining donkey parts should be buried in a sanitary manner or sold to zoos.
“We will not bury our heads in the sand. It is possible that some donkey meat will leak into some restaurants, and therefore we demand that there be oversight on donkey slaughter, as it is forbidden to eat it even if it is not harmful.”
Abu-Saddam pointed out that there is a great demand for the purchase of donkey skins from abroad, for the manufacture of expensive medicines and other high-priced soap products.
He suggested exporting live donkeys instead of their skins.
