The cost of donkey milk

On Sunday 7th February 2010 our welfare officer visited Montebaducco Farm in Salvarano di Quattro Castella. This was a follow up visit to the one we made in late 2008 when we asked the farm to improve conditions for over 600 donkeys that are bred and live there. Unfortunately for the donkeys conditions have not improved and we now want to put pressure on the owners of the farm to improve the welfare conditions for these animals from which they make money.

We found that almost all the donkeys needed to have their hooves trimmed and that 30% of them had serious problems. If left untreated, overgrown hooves can be very painful for the donkey and can cause long term damage to the foot. We also found that the accommodation for the donkeys was in bad condition and one group were locked in a small building where they could never stand in the sun.

In another building the roof was so low the donkeys could not lift their heads. Because there are not many feeders, the donkeys have to fight for feed which causes behavioural problems. The donkeys are also forced to stand in deep mud if they want to drink as there are only a few places they can get water. Most of the donkeys have to stand all day in their own faeces as very little cleaning of their living accommodation takes place.

What will we do?

We know that the owners of this farm are not going to make any changes that make the production of milk and other products less profitable without a fight but we will campaign to improve conditions and publicise the bad conditions faced by the donkeys. We will be checking on a regular basis to see if conditions improve and if not we will keep on campaigning against them.

What you can do

Add your name to our online petition to protest about the treatment of these donkeys which we will present to the owners if they do not improved conditions.

We are not against donkeys milk used for purposes that help us humans, all we ask is the animals we use to make us better do not suffer as a result!

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Online petition