Zim to build new abattoir to kill donkeys for meat

A NEW abattoir to kill donkeys for their meat will soon be constructed in Zimbabwe’s second city, Bulawayo, and it should be operational before the end of the month.

Gareth Lumsden, managing director of Battlefront Investments which is building the abattoir told Bulawayo’s Sunday News he expects to kill about 70 donkeys a day when the R20 million abattoir is in full production.

“I think we will have finished (constructing the abattoir) maybe in two or three weeks’ time and we should start slaughtering,” he said.

“Nothing really has changed in terms of how the animals will be dealt with.

Buying

“It will be the same as if you are buying cattle, sheep or goats but if you get to a particular area if you are buying cattle, goat or sheep you need to get police clearance.

“Our target market is the Asian market of which I have even employed some Asian people, Chinese people in particular.

“We have already procured the market for that product,” he said, and added that he expects he will be able to export.

Lumsden said the company was mainly targeting buying “old” donkeys and those in a bad state and neglected.

He said there was nothing sinister about eating donkey meat except that it was more of a culture shock in Zimbabwe which is why the Asian market is the priority.

“We are targeting China in particular, it is a delicacy there.

“They eat the meat but the important part is the skin . . . there are 1,8 billion Chinese people and I don’t see anything wrong with them, they eat almost anything,” he said.

But not everyone is happy with this development. Lupane Youth for Development (LUYD) director Alfred Sihwa said the licensing of the donkey abattoir was likely to give rise to theft cases.

LUYD promotes welfare of livestock especially donkeys through its links with an international charity organisation, The Donkey Sanctuary.

“Donkey welfare is not taken seriously.

“Owners are not taking care of their donkeys as they don’t regard them as animals of value and worth.

“So if an abattoir is constructed and is licensed, I think there is going to be a bad scenario whereby donkeys will be stolen and taken to the market randomly because this is an animal which is of no value.

“We have previous situations whereby people were buying donkeys in Beitbridge and they were given to lions across the border in South Africa.”

Tanzania is the latest country to help halt the trade in donkey skins for traditional Chinese medicine by closing down all of its donkey slaughterhouses three months ago.