The federal government on Thursday authorised the export of donkey hides as part of an amendment to the Ministry of Commerce’s Export Policy Order, according to a notification available with Dawn.com.

In 2015, the Economic Coordination Council (ECC) banned the export of donkey hides in the country in view of the sale of donkey meat under the guise of beef and mutton in different cities.

According to the commerce ministry notification, the export of donkey hides shall be allowed only to those “firms [and] companies manufacturing in designated, approved [or] registered donkey slaughterhouses located in [the] Gwadar Free Zone only”.

The notification also stated that the ban on exporting donkey hides would be “omitted” from the Export Policy Order.

Last July, the Senate Standing Committee on Commerce was informed that protocols to export donkey skins and meat to China had been finalised, along with the export of onions, potatoes and chillies.

However, in August this year, a consultative workshop on the role of working equines in supporting livelihoods and addressing emerging threats to donkeys, horses and mules found that of the 55.5 million donkeys in the world, 6 million are killed annually across the globe.

Besides recognising the role of working equines in sustaining the livelihoods of poor and marginalised communities, the workshop also aimed to raise awareness of the ongoing welfare challenges and the emerging threat of the donkey skin trade in Pakistan.