Overview
- A supervised pilot in Trelew, Chubut, sold donkey meat at about 7,500 pesos per kilo and held tastings that filled fast, with the producer saying the trial had provincial oversight and Senasa animal traceability.
- Tucumán’s production secretary said the sale is effectively banned in practice because donkeys are not authorized for formal slaughter under national rules and there is no inspection system for that species.
- Santiago del Estero’s Pro Carne office said there are no plants licensed for equines or other non‑conventional species in the province and warned any local sale would lack sanitary guarantees and should be reported.
- The regulatory gap extends beyond provinces, since donkey meat is not listed in the Argentine Food Code and no slaughterhouses in the country are authorized for this species, which raises the risk of clandestine killing.
- The debate has widened as beef prices climb and consumption falls, with some highlighting Senasa staffing cuts and recent export rejections that could complicate safe scaling, while the Chubut producer frames the project as an arid‑zone production strategy and awaits final permits.