Progress! Ejiao Act Reintroduced to Protect Donkeys from Cruel Skin Trade

On September 23, 2025, U.S. Representative Don Beyer (D-VA) reintroduced the Ejiao Act in the House of Representatives. This crucial bill, H.R. 5544, would ban the sale and trade of donkey skin gelatin in the United States and marks an important step forward in the global fight to end this violent industry.

The demand for ejiao in traditional Chinese medicine has fueled the brutal slaughter of more than five million donkeys each year—many of them stolen from families in the Global South who depend on their animals for survival. Although China is the largest importer of donkey skin gelatin, the United States is also complicit, accounting for an estimated $12 million worth of annual imports, and directly contributing to both the suffering of animals and the devastation of human communities.

Representative Beyer has been working tirelessly for years to end the United States’ role in this cruelty, consistently calling for the U.S. to take responsibility and lead by example. In announcing the bill’s reintroduction, Beyer condemned ejiao as “an inhumane and dangerous business that is leading to the mass slaughter of donkeys and causing widespread harm to impoverished communities around the world,” and affirmed that the legislation would ensure the U.S. no longer engages in the trade, instead supporting “safer, more cost-effective, and humane alternatives.”

Momentum for a ban is building, as the American people overwhelmingly oppose donkey slaughter. In July, the Animal Welfare Institute commissioned a Harris Poll survey of more than 2,000 U.S. adults, which found that 83% agreed that ejiao production raises serious animal welfare concerns, and 80% said the steep decline in global donkey populations due to this trade is unacceptable.

Species Unite has joined with a growing coalition of advocacy organizations—including Brooke USA, American Association of Equine Practitioners (AAEP), American Wild Horse Conservation, the Animal Welfare Institute (AWI), ASPCA, EKō, the Homes for Horses Coalition, Humane World for Animals (formerly HSUS), and Loco for Long Ears,—to support Rep. Beyer as he works to pass the Ejiao Act in the 119th Congress.

Thanks to the strength of this community, we have already made a huge impact. More than 50,000 people signed our initial petition in support of the bill, and our new direct letter campaign has empowered over 15,000 individuals to contact their representatives asking them to cosponsor this vital legislation. Now that the Ejiao Act is officially reintroduced, we must take our outreach even further to ensure that the United States finally ends its complicity in this violent and destructive trade.

To everyone who has already written to Congress: thank you. If you haven’t yet, please click below to send your letter of support today. If you’ve already reached out—or if you’re outside the United States—please share our original petition with your networks to help spread the word.