Sponsors (16)
Introduced September 23, 2025 by Donald Sternoff Beyer · Last progress September 23, 2025
The bill strengthens U.S. enforcement and legal clarity to curb trade in donkey hides and ejiao—helping protect animals and deter traffickers—but does so by imposing significant penalties, seizures, and enforcement burdens that raise costs, due-process and civil‑liberties concerns, and potential harms to small businesses and affected foreign rural communities.
Rural communities and global donkey populations will face reduced U.S. market demand for donkey hides/ejiao, helping protect animals and livelihoods in source countries.
U.S. consumers will be less likely to purchase ejiao products derived from potentially inhumane or unsustainable slaughter practices, reducing exposure to such products.
Customs, border, and federal law-enforcement agencies will gain stronger, clearer enforcement tools (civil/criminal penalties, seizure/forfeiture, authority to detain/inspect) to deter and disrupt illegal trade in donkeys, hides, and ejiao.
U.S. importers, retailers, online sellers, and small businesses will face heightened risk of significant fines, criminal liability, seizure of inventory, and forfeiture of property, increasing financial exposure and business disruption.
Consumers who use ejiao for cultural or medicinal reasons (and ordinary purchasers) will lose legal access in interstate and international markets and may face uncertainty or inadvertent prosecution for possession, limiting lawful choices.
Rural, low-income communities in source countries may continue to lose working donkeys and face increased theft or illegal slaughter if trade is driven underground or shifts to other markets before protections take effect.
Based on analysis of 7 sections of legislative text.
Bans trade, transport, import/export, sale, purchase, and possession of donkeys, donkey hides, and products containing ejiao in U.S. commerce and imposes fines, criminal penalties, seizures, and forfeiture.
Creates a federal ban on import, export, transport, sale, purchase, possession, and interstate commerce of donkeys, donkey hides, and products that contain ejiao (a gelatin made from donkey skins). It establishes civil fines (up to $10,000 per violation), criminal penalties (including fines and up to 1 year imprisonment for knowing violations and felony exposure for higher‑value transactions), civil forfeiture of goods and conveyances, and enforcement authority for U.S. Customs and Border Protection and the Department of the Interior with specified inspection, seizure, arrest, and warrant powers.