Consignment of donkey meat ready for sale discovered in Egypt

A large consignment of donkey meat packaged for sale as “red meat” has been discovered by inspectors from Egypt’s Supply and Internal Trade police. The meat weighed three tonnes and was being transported for sale in El-Shorouk district near Cairo. It is the second such consignment discovered by the authorities within the past week.

Furthermore, another 200 donkey legs, 50 donkey skins, 50 heads and seven live donkeys prepared for slaughter were found at the same location. The police stated that 12 dogs of different breeds were also found in the possession of the suspect, as well as a snake, a monkey, a horse and a mountain goat.

A security source confirmed that the suspect intended to sell these products to a number of restaurants and butcher’s shops in governorates north of the delta, especially in the Ismailia, Port Said, Suez, Dakahlia and Sharqia governorates. The source added that El Shorouk has become an area where most of the donkey slaughtering takes place due to its distance from Cairo, its small population and the space available for the burial of the waste products.

Al-Araby Al-Jadeed reported that veterinary reports on the meat proved that it was not suitable for human consumption. The Public Prosecution Office ordered it to be destroyed, and said that the trader’s identity must be kept secret until further investigations are carried out.