Donkey farming a no win situation according to University of Reading

Mar 03, 2023

In recent years, there has been a significant increase in demand for the collagen from donkey skins, used to make the Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) ejiao (pronounced uh-jee-ow). With China unable to meet demand due to its own diminished donkey population and failed attempts to farm them profitably at sufficient scale, the ejiao industry has been sourcing donkeys from across the world.

A new report from The Donkey Sanctuary, citing research from the University of Reading, reveals farming donkeys for their hides is not a viable business model. Worse still, intensive farming puts the health and wellbeing of donkeys and humans at significant risk by increasing the risk of infectious disease spread in both species.

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Source : Small Farm Canada

Video: ASF Spread and Control Insights - Dr. Carles Vilalta

In this episode of The Swine it Podcast Show Canada, Dr. Carles Vilalta, epidemiologist at IRTA CReSA in Spain, explains the current African swine fever situation, including origin, transmission, and control strategies. He highlights the role of human activity, wild boar dynamics, and biosecurity measures to protect commercial farms. Learn how surveillance and field actions shape disease containment. Listen now on all major platforms!

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Meet the guest: Dr. Carles Vilalta / carlesvilalta is an epidemiologist, swine veterinarian, and researcher at IRTA-CReSA in Spain. His work focuses on epidemiology, swine health, disease surveillance, and research support for government and industry programs. Learn more from Dr. Carles Vilalta on The Swine it Podcast Show Canada, available on all major platforms.