Piauí sent around 3,500 donkeys for slaughter in slaughterhouses in Bahia between January and August 2026, according to the State Agricultural Defense Agency (Adapi). The number is almost three times higher than that recorded in the entire year 2025. According to researchers, the increase is linked to the greater international demand for the animal's skin. In the Asian market, each skin can be sold for up to R$4,000.
g1 spoke with researchers who believe that the increase may be related to the devaluation of the animal in rural areas and the increase in international demand for the skin.
According to Adapi, the municipality of Marcos Parente, in the south of Piauí, has the largest number of donkeys destined for slaughter in the state, according to Adapi. They are purchased by owners and gathered on a rural property until shipment.
Despite the growth in shipments, Adapi reported that it does not have a projection of how many animals can still be shipped until the end of 2026. According to the agency, there are no properties in Piauí specifically dedicated to raising donkeys destined for slaughter.
Donkeys lost value and began to be sold at low prices
According to university professor and doctor in animal science Raniel Lustosa, the donkey, historically used in transport and agricultural activities, lost space with the mechanization of the countryside. In many regions, it came to be considered an animal with no economic usefulness.
“This low use, together with the disorderly proliferation, means that they are sold at very low prices”, explained Raniel.
For the post-doctoral student at the Institute of Biomedical Sciences at USP and campaign consultant in Brazil for the British organization The Donkey Sanctuary, Patrícia Tatemoto, this devaluation contributed to the activity with donkeys taking on an extractive character.
The breeding period also needs to be considered. Gestation lasts around 12 months and, after birth, the animal takes approximately 18 months to reach an age considered suitable for slaughter. In total, there are around two and a half years between reproduction and the animal's arrival at the slaughterhouse.
"There is no commercial value for these animals. What exists is an extractive activity. Nobody produces these animals on farms, because it takes years for them to be ready for slaughter and the gestation period is long, up to a year. It is expensive. So, this activity only continues in this extractive way", he said.
Chinese demand drives market
In addition to the supply of animals at low cost, the growth in international demand also contributes to the increase in slaughters. According to Raniel Lustosa, China has significantly reduced the donkey population in recent decades and has started to look for raw materials in other countries.
The main purpose of slaughter is to remove the skin, used in the production of ejiao, a traditional product of Chinese medicine that is produced from the collagen present in donkey skin. In Brazilian slaughterhouses, the skin undergoes treatment and conservation before being exported to China.
"This is a product used in Chinese medicine, not so much proven [scientifically], but it has been used for thousands of years and, let's say, is part of their cultural issue. So, it is a product that is important, has a niche market for consumers in China", he explained.
Researcher Patrícia Tatemoto highlighted that the skin is the main product of economic interest in these slaughters, but that meat is also exported as a by-product.
"In the past, it was believed that it was a donkey with dark fur, which was ideal for this purpose, to increase the person's aesthetic capital, beauty, but later, with the reduction in donkey populations, they began to consume all donkeys", explained Patrícia.
Donkey skin can be worth thousands of reais
While the donkey is purchased for prices between R$50 and R$150, the value of the skin increases throughout the commercial chain.
According to Raniel Lustosa, a skin can be sold by the slaughterhouse for around R$1,000 to R$1,500. In the eastern market, the product can reach prices between R$2,000 and R$4,000, depending on the processing and type of final product.
“We are talking about an animal that is purchased for ridiculous prices, R$50, R$100, R$150, and whose skin can reach prices of R$2,000 to R$4,000 on the eastern market”, he highlighted.
Creation can take about two and a half years
For the professor, an alternative would be to structure an organized production chain, with registered producers, associations and cooperatives, instead of the random removal of animals.
He advocates that slaughterhouses and investors interested in the market establish agreements with producers to raise animals in a controlled and legalized way.
"These investors who are with these slaughterhouses could create a better network, of associations, cooperatives, people who can produce and serve this market to which they are exporting and not look for a way to decimate the donkey population that we have in the Northeast states", he said.
Trip can exceed 1,300 kilometers
The donkeys are transported in trucks. From Marcos Parente, the animals' main point of origin, the distance to the slaughterhouses in Bahia can exceed 1,300 kilometers.
The route is approximately 1,141 kilometers to Amargosa (BA) and 1,314 kilometers to Itapetinga (BA).
During transport, those responsible must follow animal welfare rules. Requirements include respecting the capacity of trucks and making stops for food and hydration on trips lasting more than 12 hours. It is also prohibited to use shock instruments when boarding animals.
Inspection accompanies animals until they leave Piauí
The demand for issuing Animal Transit Guides (GTAs), a mandatory document for the transport of animals, also reflects the scenario. In 2026, more than 70 guides were issued. In 2025, there were 26, and in 2024, only eight, the year in which 303 donkeys were sent to slaughter.
After issuing the GTA, Adapi only accompanies the animals until they leave Piauí. Monitoring takes place in Cristalândia, in the south of the state, where a fixed agricultural inspection post operates.
Checking the number of donkeys that arrive at slaughterhouses is carried out by federal inspectors responsible for inspecting slaughter at destination establishments.
According to Daniela Rabelo, information sharing between Adapi and Bahia's inspection bodies occurs "Only if requested".
