The “Burros Patagones” venture, which raised donkeys for meat and milk in Punta Tombo, has been frozen following an ex officio animal cruelty investigation that has gone seven months without progress. Its promoter, Julio Cittadini, maintains that the halt is political rather than legal.
The “Burros Patagones” venture, which sought to establish donkey breeding for meat and milk consumption in Punta Tombo (Chubut), has been frozen seven months after bursting onto the public agenda. Its promoter, Julio Cittadini, says he has been left trapped in judicial limbo and maintains that the halt is political, not legal.
It was in mid-2025 when Bichos de Campo reported on the initiative of this rancher, who runs a herd that today exceeds 150 head. To donkey milk production —which proliferated in recent years because it is suitable for people allergic to cow's milk protein— Cittadini sought to add meat production.
In April, with a provisional permit issued by the provincial Ministry of Production, the rancher carried out a pilot test that included the slaughter of a few animals at a local slaughterhouse, a tasting and the sale to the public of a few cuts. Although the experience was completed without major complications, the news sparked controversy.
It was not only wrongly claimed that donkey meat was circulating in various butcher shops across the country, but it was also asserted that this protein was coming to compete with beef in a context of economic crisis. Official statistics belie that possibility: Argentina closed 2025 with 50.9 million cattle registered, while the latest data from March 2024 showed stocks of just 62,269 donkeys.
The uproar was enough to ensure the project never took off. Chubut's general prosecutor for environmental matters, Florencia Gómez, opened an ex officio investigation into Cittadini for “animal cruelty and mistreatment.”
“We carried out a pilot test that was supervised by the Ministry of Production, which came out perfectly across every link in the chain, which was about to lead to definitive slaughter authorizations, and then a prosecutor stepped into the middle of it, backed by environmental groups. It came out in every media outlet with a series of inaccuracies, and the public administration took advantage of that to freeze everything. Just look at the irony: I have been under investigation for 7 months and I have never been called to testify,” Cittadini said.
Among the arguments put forward by Gómez is the prohibition of donkey consumption in the country, which the rancher denies. “There is no regulation that prohibits it. On the contrary: Law 24,525 promotes the breeding, production and consumption of horse meat,” he stated.
The law passed in 1995 declares “of national and priority interest the promotion, fostering and development of the production, marketing and industrialization of equine livestock, meat, products and by-products of the equine species and of any other activity directly or indirectly linked to it.” It is joined by Decree 4238/1968, which establishes the Regulations for the Inspection of Products, By-Products and Derivatives of Animal Origin and expressly includes equines among the animals whose slaughter for human consumption is permitted, provided it is carried out in authorized establishments.
It is true that the Argentine Food Code does not expressly mention horse or donkey meat, and that the country has historically channeled production of this food to the export market, given the cultural rejection of consumers. In fact, horse meat positioned the country fourth among world exporters, behind Poland, Belgium and Mongolia. According to Cittadini, none of this is addressed by the prosecutor in the case, which has made no progress for some time.
“They talk about a clandestine slaughter and sale, when all of this was done with the backing of the Ministry of Production. But if a prosecutor goes out and raises this publicly, many people start to doubt. Unfortunately the issue became politicized because of the national repercussions it had. And the public administration takes advantage of the situation and washes its hands, because it really does not want to make any kind of decision,” the rancher stated.
“I asked the courts to summon me to testify, but they answer that, since I am not officially accused of anything, there is no reason for me to go and defend myself. What I say is: if I am not officially accused of anything, then there is no reason for them to prohibit me from moving forward with this either. But the case is still there,” he complained.
The judicial issue is not the only one worrying the Chubut native. “I am right in the middle of the birthing season. Since I cannot slaughter, in the short term there is going to be an ecological problem on the farm, because I will exceed the number of animals I can keep. And who is going to take charge of all that? This is something I raised with the authorities. They could tell me not to continue with this, but what will I live on? The entire investment has been made for that. If they do not let me slaughter, what do I do with the animals?” he said.
