Ejiao Act of 2025

The Ejiao Act of 2025 seeks to prohibit the trade of donkeys, donkey hides, and products containing ejiao within the United States. Ejiao, a gelatin derived from donkey skins, is used in traditional Chinese medicine and other products, driving a demand that has severely impacted global donkey populations. This trade also harms impoverished communities worldwide that rely on donkeys for their livelihoods, including farming, transportation, and water collection. Specifically, the bill prohibits any person from knowingly importing, exporting, transporting, selling, receiving, acquiring, or purchasing donkeys or donkey hides for ejiao production in interstate or foreign commerce. It also bans the same activities for any product containing ejiao. These prohibitions are intended to curb the U.S. contribution to the global ejiao trade, which currently makes the U.S. the third-largest importer of ejiao. Violations of this Act carry substantial penalties, including civil fines of up to $10,000 per offense and criminal penalties for more serious infractions. Criminal offenses involving import/export or transactions exceeding $350 in value can result in fines up to $20,000 or up to 5 years imprisonment , or both. The bill also mandates the forfeiture of illegally traded donkeys, hides, ejiao products, and even equipment used in criminal violations. Enforcement responsibilities are assigned to U.S. Customs and Border Protection and the Secretary of the Interior, who are authorized to make arrests, conduct searches, and seize prohibited items.