A new report from The Donkey Sanctuary has uncovered biosecurity threats in the donkey skin trade that it describes as a 'ticking time bomb'.

Tests carried out on 108 donkey skin samples from an abattoir in Kenya found 88 were carrying Staphylococcus aureus bacteria, including 44 samples positive for the methicillin-resistant (MRSA) strain and three S. aureus samples positive for the PVL- toxin known to cause invasive necrotising disease in humans.

The problem is being created by "unsanitary slaughter methods in backyard and licensed slaughterhouses", according to the charity.

Over 4.8 million donkeys are reportedly traded and slaughtered for their skins each year to produce ejiao, a traditional Chinese remedy.

'The recent lessons of Covid-19... should make us sit up and take notice'

The Donkey Sanctuary is now calling on the governments of China, Hong Kong, Vietnam and Thailand to immediately stop the import of donkey skins, and on the national governments of exporting countries to take steps to stop the trade.

Chief Executive of The Donkey Sanctuary Marianne Steele said: "The global trade in donkey skins should be halted immediately. We now have evidence it is neither humane, sustainable nor safe and allowing it to continue, given the risks we have revealed, is unanswerable.

"If nothing else, the recent lessons of Covid-19, and the current outbreak of avian flu, should make us sit up and take notice of the emerging threats that zoonotic diseases pose."

Click here to read the full report.